Mystic of Wisdom
by EmboldenRose
Summary: A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it. But the same cannot be said for a certain masked warrior.     -Romance Free-
1. Encounter

**Mystic Of Wisdom**

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**A/N: I love Mortal Kombat! My favourite characters are Scorpion, Sub Zero, Ermac and Rain. I think they're so cool and awesome! I was so surprised to see that there weren't many stories involving Ermac here. =( **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that does not belong to me. **

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**Chapter 1: Encounter**

The morning sunlight shone vibrantly against the silver trinket that was strapped to Ermac's headband as he slowly breathed in the scent of his luscious natural surroundings as he meditated in the equally tranquil forest clearing.

That was his favourite pastime.

As much as he enjoyed it though, he thoroughly finds himself wondering about how it would've been like if the realms were freed from the evil lord's tyranny. And the longer the thought lingered on his mind, the more disturbed and distraught he would feel... for he will never forget how cruelly he was manipulated to execute Shao Khan's orders or the countless lives he was mercilessly forced to destroy.

All these he knew, would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Lips tightening angrily behind his mask at these burdening thoughts, the warrior's body slumped and his head fell forwards dejectedly. Never had he felt so vulnerable and weak before. Never had he allowed his emotions to get the best of him. Never in all of his life...

The gentle wind howled lightly and breezed against his warm skin which he allowed to wash over his broad muscular body gratefully.

Peace was what he needed at the moment. He wouldn't allow some mere_ thoughts _to affect him like that. He knew that he shouldn't... but why was he doing exactly that then?

He suddenly felt an unexpected weight land upon his right shoulder. It was a gentle one from what he can tell. Gentle and supportive. He smirked. Only one person would do that to him.

"What troubles you so much Ermac?" Asked the infamous blind swordsman, Kenshi.

The corners of Ermac's mouth twitched. How he was able to tell that he was feeling troubled was beyond his knowledge. Even so, he gratefully accepted his support with gratitude. No one had ever shown him true kindness like the way he did. He suppressed a sigh or else his heaving shoulders would've added to the man's concern.

"There is nothing troubling us," the telekinetic warrior replied, his voice buzzing so low that it almost sounded like a swarm of humming bees.

Unconvinced by the response, Kenshi gave a tired sigh before kneeling himself down besides his friend.

"You shouldn't dwell on the past," he spoke calmly as if he was able to read his mind.

"You can't undo the events that had happened. Let them drift away. As the Elder Gods' noble warrior, you should prove to be as internally powerful as you are externally."

Kenshi's brows suddenly furrowed as he sniffed the air in front of him. Ermac's own eyebrows were raised slightly at that sudden action but nonetheless, remained silent and patient as he waited.

He then noticed a slight smirk flash across the swordsman's face before he casually cleared his throat.

Though he suspected something odd about that particular behaviour, Ermac decided to keep his cool unless he decided to say something about it... which of course he didn't. Instead he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed before turning back to Ermac again.

"Just don't let the past bother you that much Ermac," he continued. "You're a formidable warrior who needs to take as much pride in himself."

Ermac, though quiet, was absorbing every word that was being said. And though as sceptical as his unusual dark emerald eyes appeared, they held a glint of thankfulness towards the blind warrior.

"Kenshi," he spoke with equal calmness. "There is _nothing_ bothering us..."

Kenshi's response was a simple smile as he stood up. "Even so, I just wanted to let you know anyway. Just in case..."

Ermac's eyes narrowed. " Just in case of what?"

"Well..." began the warrior. "Raiden came to me and requested that I assisted him in a mission a little while before I came to you," he paused when he felt Ermac stiffen beneath his touch. "So just in case if anything happens to me then, I just wanted to let you know... what I just told you." He chuckled nonchalantly but Ermac was not as easily amused.

"And I suppose he doesn't want us to come along too, does he?" He challenged instead, remorse clearly written in his eyes.

Kenshi sighed again. "No, he doesn't. In fact he didn't even want me to tell you any of this at all... but I still felt it was my duty, as a friend... to let you know."

The telekinetic warrior did nothing as he shut his eyes tightly, allowing his boiling rage to seethe through his body like wild fires before eventually speaking up slowly again, "It's about Blaze and Armageddon, isn't it?"

There was a slight pause before Kenshi reluctantly agreed with the warrior and another moment of slience was followed.

"I suppose I shall have to be on my way now seeing that the almighty Raiden doesn't like to be kept waiting," Kenshi chuckled again in the hope that the tense atmosphere could've settled down a little... which of course didn't work.

As he was about to depart, Kenshi suddenly felt Ermac's hand grasp his, which was still clutched onto his shoulder. No words were said as the two friends remained immobile... until Ermac slowly let his grip fall to his side again.

"I will... and you take care too my friend," Kenshi smiled his final smile and turned his back before adding softly. "And don't forget what I've said either..."

And with that he was gone. Disappeared without a trace. Ermac didn't even have to turn his head around to check. He just knew that his one and only friend had left his side. And only the Elder Gods knew for how long would he be gone for before he returned... that is in fact _if _he did somehow return.

He let his body slump again and brought his hands up to his face, breathing in very deeply, allowing his frustration to slowly ooze out of his tormented souls.

He neither had a clue of how long had he been in that position for nor the time of the day it was at the moment either. He simply didn't care. He just knew for a fact that it was late afternoon... probably even evening judging by the twittering birds and the very cool breeze that howled even louder than before.

"E-Excuse me. A-Are you... Are you a-alright?"

The unexpected sound of the soft voice instantly snapped the warrior wide awake again as he lifted his head up to search the area for where the voice may have came from.

His eyes finally settled on the figure that seemed to be against a tree not far away from where he was. His sharp eyes squinted slightly to gain a better view through the dusky atmosphere. It was female judging by the slight curve of the form.

He slowly got up, not taking his eyes off of her as he made his way towards the tree. The person must have realised it for she visibly flinched and turned around to run away but only to feel her arm suddenly being yanked away and she was instantly pulled out of her 'hideout_'. _

She whimpered as Ermac gripped her by the shoulders. She was obviously frightened since the grip was a gentle one.

"Who are you?" The warrior asked slowly, his sharp green eyes boring into her wide frightened brown ones.

The girl didn't reply instantly as she kept on staring fearfully at him. Until she finally let her gaze drop onto the ground with her voice coming out as a mere whisper.

"A-Aleera s-sir..."


	2. Helping Hand

**Mystic Of Wisdom**

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**A/N: Chapter 2! Oh yeah! =D I really hope you enjoy it! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that does not belong to me.  
**

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**Chapter 2: Helping Hand**

"What are you doing here?" Ermac's low growl pierced the already uncomfortable silence that laid between him and the female.

At first there was no reply as Aleera gulped down while keeping her huge terrified eyes fixed upon the masked face before eventually lowering them down in shame.

"I-I was just passing by when I saw you l-like that," her voice trembled. "I just thought that m-maybe you needed help..."

She risked a peek from underneath her eyelashes at the warrior who still had a firm grip of her shoulders. He was glaring hard at her. A look that instantly caused her to writhe helplessly from his powerful hands.

Despite all of that, the girl was very surprised to hear his voice sounding the way it just had. She had no idea as to why he was that furious towards her either. All she wanted to do was help. She was honest when she admitted that she was simply passing by. She had no clue that someone was by his side earlier on either.

At last, Ermac sighed and removed his hands off of her. He didn't say anything as he slowly made his way back to collect his outfit from a nearby tree.

Aleera blinked as she stared wordlessly at the warrior.

Why did she have to bother him like that?

She could have easily ignored him and move on. Typical. But she would always have to offer a hand to anyone she met.

_"Maybe that's why_ they've _always considered me plain and weak..." _she thought sadly.

She tilted her head to the right and laid her gaze upon the various colourful flowers that rustled soothingly in the wind. Her knee long raven black hair flowed elegantly like a beautiful ballerina as she fiddled with her fingers, obviously confused to what she should do next. She didn't even know why she risked it. All she saw was a depressing looking man in the middle of nowhere.

_And he looked so sad. _

She risked another glance at him, blinked again before turning her attention back to the flowers. To be honest, Aleera had no clue as to where exactly she should be heading. All she knew was that she had to keep on going, until goodness knew of what fate it had in store for the poor girl. She shuddered and rubbed her smooth tanned arm nervously at the thought.

Finally she took a deep breath and tried her very best to speak apologetically to Ermac who still had his back to her.

"Um, I'm really sorry if I... if I angered you... it's just that I... you seemed very-"

"How long were you there for?" The warrior's sudden multiple voices made her jump back. They still held that same disturbed tone towards her.

Eyes still as wide as a full moon, Aleera tried her best to keep her gaze lowered down in both respect and shame.

"I-uh... not long... when I saw you, I just felt concerned... and I... I-I'm sorry..."

Ermac was silent again as he resumed with fixing his outfit onto his lean muscular body. Aleera slowly raised her head slightly and stared at his back.

"You concern yourself over strangers?"

She panicked at that startling question.

Was she that shallow?

Was that the exact thought everyone would hold against her whenever she'd offer to help someone she didn't know?

Panicking, she rummaged through her aching head to find suitable words to answer him.

What was she going to answer him anyway?

What exactly was she standing there for?

Why didn't she simply leave? Why?

"It depends at times... if I suspect they're sinister, I'll just ignore them... but otherwise... I'll just feel concerned over anybody... I just... I just want to help them..."

Ermac swiftly turned around and Aleera felt his clear dark green eyes pierce through her silky curtain.

Why in the world was she still standing there?

At first it seemed that the warrior was about to say something to her but then let it off with a tired sigh.

Aleera's guilt overcame her senses by that response. Instead of making things a little bit better, she was in fact making them worse. She really should have ignored all of that and spare all that trouble but no, she just _had _to interfere with anything that caught her attention. So typical.

But there _was _something about this mysterious man that had caught her attention. She didn't know what but the sight of him looking so down and alone reminded her of herself...

She gave a sudden small gasp when she felt something cold and sharp land upon her forehead. She held out a hand and allowed the water droplets to splatter generously all over it. She remembered now. There was going to be a mild storm within the area.

She brushed her hair away from her face and took a deep slow breath.

_Does he even know about the storm? _She thought.

Her instinct told her that she was meant to do what she was about to do. Hesitantly, she cleared her sore throat and opened her mouth, almost feeling guilty about it.

"I-I'm not sure if you already know about it s-sir... but there's going to be storm today- in this area I mean. I-I c-could..."

She paused, anxiety overwhelming her whole self as she hoped to find the correct words. Ermac on the other hand simply waited patiently as he stared at the struggling girl. He had no idea about any incoming storms whatsoever.

"I-I could offer you some sh-shelter if you want to. There's a nearby inn around here," Aleera lowered her head again, afraid of what his reaction would be like now.

There was another moment of silence as the rain continued to fall steadily, allowing Ermac to ponder carefully about the offer.

He was indeed extremely shocked by that soft little outburst. Never had he dreamed of someone else besides Kenshi who would actually be concerned about him. And especially one whom he had never met before either. And to make matters even more confusing, she hadn't escaped him at first sight. It was truly obvious that he didn't look normal yet now she was actually trying to offer him some protection. Sure he did encounter some ordinary civilians before, but even though it was clear that he was for the forces of light, they still fled away from him... not that it did any effect on him. He never really cared about what others thought about him anyway...

There was more to this girl than met the eye, he thought.

But why? The question lingered on his mind causing him to feel extremely uneasy.

"P-Please s-sir... it's about to get worse any minute now," Aleera's soft voice cut through his thoughts.

Ermac looked into her eyes again, suspecting that it could've been some sort of trick. Shao Khan's control over him had really shattered him even though he never revealed it. But none he saw in her sympathetic eyes. She really did want to... help him.

"Fine, we accept your offer... Aleera," the sceptical look was back on again.

For a moment, Aleera simply stared at him, completely caught off guard by the response... until she smiled enormously causing Ermac to raise an eyebrow. The first time he saw her smile.

"Thank you. Come on then. You'll get ill if you remain here."


	3. Within

**Mystic Of Wisdom**

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**A/N: New chapter! And this was made especially for SweetSacrifice123 ****who really kept me motivated to keep on going! Thank you so much! I really hope you enjoy this chapter now and anyone else who is reading it as well! ...hopefully lol! Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that doesn't belong to me.**

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**Chapter 3: Respect**

Aleera kept her soft gaze upon her unblemished smooth brown hands that were neatly clasped together on the table as she tried to divert her attention from the awkward silence that was laid between her and the mysterious man.

The now swift and abundant raindrops splattered restlessly against the double glazed windows of the inn and the howling wind never ceased to cry like a new born baby during an equally nightmarish weather. And though as horrific as it sounded like, the warmth of the ancient battered building promised a well secured and comfortable haven to those who sought for it.

The general light buzz of the crowd chattering among themselves brought some joy into the girl's sensitive soul as she enjoyed listening to normal folks' endless little rants about their mild problems. Listening to them like that had always made her appreciate her own personal qualities as she was never one to complain about anyone or anything. Whether she was satisfied or not, she would calmly accept the situation the way it is without a negative saying to anyone.

But that same 'spark_' _wasn't back on again as she casually studied the individuals. Part of her was well aware of that but was willing to keep it buried as deeply as possible within her inmost thoughts in the hope that one day, she would eventually forget about _that _to have ever happened to her...

She rubbed her fingers together in a brief and silent comtemplation before hesitantly lifting up her gaze to look at Ermac. He was staring at her in silence.

Slightly caught off guard by the young woman's sudden move, the warrior slowly blinked to emphasize his stare to be a questioning one.

Ever since they had sat down, neither of them had dared to commute with one another. In Aleera's case, she was obviously frightened in case she might upset him further but moving onto Ermac however, he was simply curious as to why the girl was being kind to him. To further increase his curiosity however, every move she made was a mystery to him - despite him being a highly skilled warrior with a very sharp sense of predicting anyone's next move.

Aleera's response was a warm smile which surprised him again. Why was she smiling to him? The usual responses he would usually receive would've been sharp retorts or swift hurtful grimaces.

The girl was still feeling guilty about her somewhat 'rude_' _behaviour towards him earlier. She thought that the least she could do was make him feel comfortable... which she highly doubted was working anyway...

"H-Hey would you like me to buy you anything s-sir?" she asked kindly, her warm brown eyes never leaving his clear jade green ones. "If you're hungry or thirsty that is, I could buy you something if you want."

Ermac's head jerked back a little in shock at that. He really had not been expecting that. Why on earth was that strange girl being so kind to him? Hot suspicion was building up in his tense muscles again.

While he was busy coming up with all sorts of possible reasons, Aleera's expression changed to one of concern as she waited for an answer.

"S-Sir?"

Ermac's eyes snapped back onto the girl's face again. Why was she addressing him that way?

"Please," his multiple voices hummed lowly. "It's Ermac."

The sound of his voice made the west Asian girl smile contently again. It was a relief after all. She thought that he really had no intention to speak to her whatsoever.

"Ok Ermac," she said, still smiling. "I have some koins with me so if you want to, I could buy you something while you're waiting. The storm's not going to be a short one after all."

Ermac's eyes fell onto his gloved hands which were clenched underneath the table.

_Why? _

The question slowly nibbled at his poor head until it hurt him to think properly.

Why did he accept her offer like that?

Was it because—was it simply because he's never encountered anyone like her before? He could have easily declined it and search for a shelter on his own. Storms had never been a bother to him. He was a highly skilled warrior after all. He could resist anything...

He was vaguely aware of a silky soft touch on his arm as someone slowly brushed past him.

The howling wind and the vigorous rustling of dancing leaves outside strangely created a sense of peace within him. It was always like that. Whenever he was in low spirits about a particular situation, he would always rely on the sounds of nature to calm him down; whether they'd be tranquil or ruthless.

His eyes widened a little when he felt a gentle hand land upon his rigid arm. He turned his head slightly to catch sight of the cottony soft blue sleeve of the female.

"Hey I hope you don't mind but I bought you some snacks," she spoke. "I thought you might not want to eat them now so I bought them in packets." She placed the small bag with the contents in front of him. "This way you can decide whenever you might want to have them."

She sat back down and giggled softly at Ermac's expression. Now that was something completely unexpected. And without even realising it, he had placed a hand on the bag.

_Why did she do that? _

He slowly tightened his grip around it, feeling the contents within it. With her own koins did she buy them... for him... He raised his head and stared at the girl, obviously confused. Not seeming to understand what was going on herself, Aleera tilted her own head to the right with a deep crimson red forming against her brown cheeks.

"Aleera."

Her eyes widened but she managed a small smile to grace her features as she returned back the stare; a soft one that is. And again her eyes were locked with the captivating emerald ones. She blinked at them, unsure of what to do as she waited.

"Why are you doing this?"

She jerked her head back a little, a faint frown forming upon her forehead as she thought of a suitable answer.

She sighed.

She had always been doing that for as long as she can remember.

At last she smiled again, as if reassuring him that it was nothing to be concerned about.

"Just being friendly I suppose," she giggled lightly. "You seemed a bit downhearted so I thought a little comfort was what you needed... though I highly doubt that it's working anyway..."

Ermac didn't say anything as he propped an elbow on the table and placed a fist against his forehead as he waited patiently, as if expecting to hear more.

Aleera couldn't help but stare in awe at his new pose. He looked so handsome...

She quickly snapped herself awake, silently scolding herself for having such thoughts. Suddenly realising that he was still waiting, she hastily cleared her throat before replying;

"You see I'm one of those types who really cannot stand it when someone's unhappy- O-Ok, I'm not exactly meant to tell you this but since you asked for it..." she sighed. "I hate lying so I suppose I just had to tell you..."

Another moment of silence followed and just when Aleera was about to break eye contact with the warrior, seeming that she starting to get captivated by his pose, Ermac was the first one to do the honour as he unclenched his fist and pressed his forefinger and thumb against his nose bridge which of course, was on the rim of his mask, as he contemplated calmly.

With his eyes gently shut, the girl felt her heart beat faster at the sight in front of her. He looked so beautiful indeed... The way his face was tilted slightly with that frown creasing up his forehead... Aleera was mesmerised by it all.

Without any warning, Ermac's eyes slowly opened again and his gaze fell upon her once more. The girl felt her insides jump at that suddenness. Thankfully though, she had some satisfactory self control so she was able to appear perfectly normal.

"That's not the true reason..." Ermac hummed lowly, and blinked when he saw her flinch slightly. The next move was completely unexpected though, for he clearly didn't miss the fresh glistening tears that generated in her eyes as she slowly brought up her hand to hold her now trembling head.

Suddenly feeling remorseful at the pitiful sight in front of him, Ermac slowly got up and approached the sobbing girl.

As he neared her, he suddenly halted on the spot, as if he sensed something was amiss.

His eyes suddenly widened in shock and he quickly wrapped himself around the girl, his hard abdomen against her quivering back, and a couple of seconds later, the two were sent hurtling into a nearby wall.

Everything happened so fast then; everyone was sent panicking and running around in all random directions, finding the nearest way out of the building, obstacles flailing everywhere and parts of the ceiling falling down, causing the atmosphere to be very stuffy and dusty, making it very hard to breathe.

Coughing and groaning in pain, Ermac tightened his grip around Aleera as he forcefully pushed his weight off of the now cracked wall with his back ringing from the sudden pain. Aleera's safety was all that mattered at the moment. He stumbled from the effect of the shock and almost completely fell forwards until he felt a supportive weight pushing him back. He felt the girl releasing herself from his hold and grip him by his upper arms. Ermac shut his eyes tightly, clearing his blurred vision from the choky atmosphere before opening them up to face the familiar sight. Aleera's tear stricken face was full of bewilderment and horror as she gently shook him, fearing that he may collapse any minute.

"Are you hurt?" Ermac rasped out.

"Me? There's nothing wrong with me! You're the one who needs to be concerned about! Are _you_ hurt anywhere Ermac?"

"This is nothing compared to what is about to happen..." he replied grimly, almost to himself than Aleera.

"E-Ermac?"

"Ah I thought so. You see? I did tell you that he'd be in here." An unfamiliar gruff voice slashed the sombre atmosphere. It didn't sound human. Robotic?

Aleera turned around and was shocked to find two robotic figures standing in the ruined entrance of the building. They were clad in red cybornic armours and she also noted that they were armed with a very odd looking sword. It was of a sickly green colour and it buzzed radically sending minor shockwaves around it. The very sight of it made Aleera shudder in fear.

_What was going on?_

"Aleera. Get out of here and make sure you hide somewhere safe," Ermac's voice was strained but his command was as clear and final as his now hardened eyes.

Aleera spun around and a look a pure trepidation crossed her features. "Ermac... please be careful," she whispered and gave his broad arm a squeeze before heading out the nearest exit behind her.

Once she was gone, Ermac readied himself in his_ Choy lay fut_ stance as the two cyborgs slowly neared him, also getting their battle stances ready.

"What do you want from us?" He growled, his voice pure with venom and hatred towards the two warriors.

They didn't answer immediately until they had him surrounded. "The lesser warriors there are... the easier it will be for our master to snatch the prize for himself..." one cyborg responded, his robotic voice also filled with malice.

Ermac allowed a grim smirk to flash in his eyes. "In comparison to us, your skills are as poor as a novice's. You will never defeat us. It would've been so much simpler if you'd retreat back and tell Sektor that his plan would never work... and spare us from all the bloodshed..."

"Insolent fool! How dare you say such things about our dignified lord!" As if in response to the new deathly atmosphere, their blades burned a more bright golden colour, sending more powerful shockwaves and fiery streaks around the place. None of which made Ermac back down.

His senses as sharp as an eagle's, the Outworlder conjured up his own telekinetic powers and waited for the right moment to strike as his opponents slowly approached him.

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**A/N: Uh... I think I messed up the last bit but anyway, I think that was my longest chapter yet! ...Yikes I think I really messed up the grammar and wow! So many typos! I'm so sorry! I've uh hopefully made some improvemenrs. =)**


	4. Conflict

**Mystic Of Wisdom**

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**A/N: My longest chapter yet! Oh thank you so much for your reviews everyone! I was really surprised! I never thought that anyone would've liked this! Thank you ever so much! I must warn you though, that this chapter _might_ be a teeny weeny confusing ;-) Just ask if you don't understand something =) And phew, to be honest, I really spent till later than 2 a.m. typing this up. Hopefully you'll find it satisfactory lol! I've also made some improvements to the previous chapters; their grammars and such so they're hopefully going to be more pleasant to read =) I hope you enjoy this chapter =) Thank you so much once again! **

**Hurray for holiday! =D Woot!  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that doesn't belong to me. Got it? You better do. I've been doing this for 3 months.  
**

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**Chapter 4: Longing **

_What's going on..._

Aleera risked a tiny peek through the thick watery crown of a fallen oak tree that was laid pitifully behind some weather battered rock boulders. Though she couldn't see much of what was happening, she somehow knew that there was a fight going on... and she hated the very thought of it...

She quickly wrapped her arms around herself tightly as the powerful wind engulfed her petite body within its deathly cold embrace. But even though as cold and ever so frightened as she was at the moment, she remained fixed on the spot, determined and hoping that she'd be able to catch sight of her friend... whom she was more than certain that he'd emerged out victoriously...

_...why are they here? What do they want from him? _

...The very thought of him battling against the strange beings generated an overwhelming deep sympathy within her saintly heart towards him... and her mind still registered the moment when he had shielded her protectively against the blast...

She sighed and nestled closer to the humid yet fertile shelter, hugging her knees to her chest as she rested on her side.

_He protected me... _

She blinked and felt her heart twist at that sudden awareness. She closed her eyes and let the raindrops wash over her.

_But... why... _No one did as little as stand up for her before... and now someone who barely even knew her...

She broke down. The monsoon of tear fall that she had tried to contain within herself so unsuccessfully was finally released... and she let them flow out of her eyes in a never-ending stream…

_But why? Why?_

She clutched her knees tighter and buried her aching head in them as she trembled uncontrollably. She had always known herself to be small, weak and pathetic... Always had and always will be...

Eyes still brimming with fresh tears, she shut them up tightly, letting the sudden heat sweep the edges of her eyelids as she slowly drifted into an unexpected darkness...

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_The sunshine shone vibrantly through the murky windows of the lounge, forcing in some radiant sparks to illuminate the gloomy atmosphere. Aleera reluctantly approached her supposedly role model who was sat down on a leather sofa, staring glumly at the glittering swirly specks of dusts that danced around in the beam of sunlight; a blank expression was poised upon her face... _

"_Um mum..." she spoke hesitantly. "He's gone now... we can't do anything about it..." she paused as she searched for the right words. "Y-You should l-let it go... Please don't be upset..."_

_She shuffled her feet uncomfortably as her mother kept her stony gaze locked upon the beam of light. Seeing her in this state made Aleera panic even more since that was the first time she had ever seen her mother look so down and defeated... She's always looked up to her... craving for that fiery confidence and cunningness that had always seeped through her equally exuberant pumping veins... and ever wishing to become like her when she grew up..._

"_Maybe I'm interrupting her," she thought, "She's probably coming up with some amendments..." she paused. "Just the two of us... it won't be that bad..." she smiled internally at the thought. _

_Of course that didn't sound so bad... After all, she was never too keen about her dad either. She had always been fully aware of him distancing himself away from them... and though she wasn't able to comprehend why, she somehow knew that in the end, it wasn't going to end too well..._

_A sudden stir made her alert again as her mother slowly turned to face her with a masked grin that graced her features. Whenever the girl saw her expression swiftly change like that, she'd always feel a spark of hope ignite within her... but not anymore... this time, she knew something was amiss... _

"_Of course! Don't you worry about me sweety 'cause I've got just the thing!" At this point, she had sat up straight and was fumbling with her shoulder length sleek black hair. _

"_Huh! So he thought that he could come up with a backup plan eh? That loser- he had no idea that I've already come up with my own way before he did!" _

_Aleera's eyes widened in pure shock and horror as those words left her mouth. "W-What? S-So you mean-"_

"_Yep. And I'm gonna let _him _know about it as soon as possible! In the meantime, you should go tidy up your room; make sure your clothes are neatly piled up in your wardrobe ok? And while you're doing that, I'm gonna get busy with the rest of this place."_

_Aleera said nothing as she slowly left the room, taking each step as slowly as possible, going through what she had heard over and over again till she was almost to the point of screaming her throbbing heart out. _

"_She's... just as bad as him..."_

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Aleera coughed. Her throat was as dry as a haystack that she found it quite difficult to swallow. Water. She needed some fluid so badly right now.

Eyes still closed, she reached her hand up to pull the woolly blanket away from her- but it landed upon her cool clammy neck instead of the familiar soft comfortable material.

_H-Huh? _

Her eyes instantly snapped open, facing upwards at the beautiful rich starry night sky as the cackling flames gradually filled her sensitive hearing. The storm was indeed a quick one; not entirely mild but it did prove to be fairly quick.

She sat up quickly- a bit too quickly that she felt her head very dizzy. She gently massaged her forehead with her forefinger and thumb as her senses gradually adjusted to the environment.

"We were hoping when you would finally wake up."

_That voice, _Aleera thought surprisingly.

She craned her head around the dancing flames till she caught sight of the familiar red. A wide grin stretched across her face as she welcomed the sight.

"I knew you'd make it!" She got up and went to sit next to the telekinetic warrior. "You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"

Ermac responded with a curt shake of the head and glanced down at the young woman at his side. Feeling her face burn up, Aleera quickly diverted her gaze to her surroundings.

They were still in the forest, she noted. A faint frown formed upon her forehead as she tried to recall what had happened to her.

_Did I faint? _

She turned her awareness back to the warrior.

_Did he bring me here? _

Her eyes widened.

_Did he c-carry me?_

The sudden thought of her being carried in his powerful arms intensified the burning heat of her face by tenfold. Then she finally remembered the question that lingered on her mind for a long time. Taking in a deep breath and without gaining any eye contact, she spoke quietly;

"W-Were they trying to k-kill you?"

Ermac nodded slowly.

_How can he be so calm about it? _

That thought horrified her.

"M-May I please ask... why?"

Ermac looked down upon the girl's head again. He was completely baffled by her. First, she wanted to help, then she was unconscious and now she wanted to comfort him. Why was she so concerned about him like that? How come did she not see him as the bad guy? His looks and voice said it all... and yet there she was... concerned about him...

"We'll only answer your question if you answer ours," he hummed lowly.

Aleera looked up and instantly wished she didn't.

"O-Oh um o-ok... w-what is it?"

Brown eyes met green ones again and she felt her insides clench within her making her feel slightly nauseous.

"How do you not see us as evil?"

She blinked surprisingly. That question really caught her off guard. It made sense though. She did see him differently from everyone else but never evil...

_Why evil? _

"Well..." she began. "For starters, if you were truly evil, you would have killed me a long time ago. Not let me go off that easily," she paused. "But still, when I saw you, you didn't seem evil at all..." she looked away. "...Just lonely..." _Like me._

Ermac didn't say anything as he looked up wistfully at the night sky.

_That's it? _He thought.

She really was... different. He had never really cared about what other people thought about him. Never did and hopefully never will... hopefully...

"...Armageddon..." he whispered with his gaze still held upwards.

Aleera gulped at that and looked at him again.

"I know about that but why were they trying to kill-"

Her eyes widened in shock.

"By the Gods! You're actually a warrior for the forces of light, aren't you?"

Ermac tilted his head slightly at her.

"D-Does that mean that you're going to be in that battle as well?"

She was crying at this point which made the warrior's eyes widened a little and without even thinking, he had brought his hand up to her trembling silky head making her jump a little. That instantly calmed her though and she brought her own hands up to her mouth to hold back some whimpers that threatened to come out.

"But you are, aren't you?" she choked.

Ermac merely smiled gently behind his mask before nodding his head again, which only made the girl cry harder. Not knowing what else to do since it was his first time trying to comfort someone, he searched through his warrior's suit. It was after all quite flattering, in his opinion. Someone was actually _crying _for him...

And then before he knew it , Aleera had stood up and without any warning, she had started to run through the dark forest without turning her head back.

"Wait!"

She could hear the desperation in his voice but she had to keep on running- running- running...

Away from him... away from everything else...

She just had to keep on going.

Her mind was a blinding blur all of a sudden.

All she could see was _him._ That creep!

She had dreamt about him last night again.

Was she going crazy?

As much as she craved to bury him in the deepest darkest pit of her mind, he would always keep on reappearing... haunting her... and it had become more frequent than usual...

She kept on running... She couldn't hear Ermac behind her... no sounds of his footsteps. That was a relief, in her opinion. He probably thought that she was a burden to him after all since she_ did _try to interfere with his problems.

_Good, _she thought. _He's happy and so am I!_

She kept on running. All she could see now was _him. _And it was getting increasingly worse by the minute... she kept on running.

She could see them... oh yes she could... The trees were dancing to and fro, silently mocking her for giving up so easily. Her poor head was aching. Her whole body was throbbing with fresh agony. She clenched her teeth and trembled uncontrollably, unable to think properly. But she kept on running...

All of a sudden, she felt an unexpected force dragging her back. Her panic increased by a thousand fold as she tried to break free. She let out a horrified scream at the sight of her body. It had a powerful green aura around it. She tried to tug and rip it away... but to obviously no avail as she only felt her body scream from each of her attacks.

She then felt herself being swept off her feet and was sent flying backwards.

_It's only a nightmare! _She cried internally.

Her flying speed was then slowed down and within a split second, she felt a pair of broad arms wrap themselves around her.

The memory was back again and she fought back with all her might to free herself from the tight grip but only to result in her to writhe completely helplessly in the end...

"That's enough!"

Husky but strangely calming voices penetrated through her delirium and she gasped when she saw the familiar red across her waist.

Silence overwhelmed the whole area as the two stood there, panting softly. Aleera slowly closed her eyes and let the tears flow out of her eyes and drip onto the powerful red material as she sniffled quietly.

_Why... Why did he run after me? _

She hesitantly reached her hands up to touch his arms which she suddenly felt stiffen. But she didn't move them away as she began to caress them gently.

Ermac, on the other hand, had to suppress a sigh at the girl's blatant innocence. He simply wasn't used to that sort of kindness... apart from Kenshi. But that's an entirely different matter... and he didn't actually show him _that _sort of kindness, mind you -.-

"If we let go," he finally spoke after the long pause. "You won't run away again, will you?"

Aleera gulped and answered that she wouldn't before Ermac was convinced enough to slowly loosen up his grip of her but still making sure that he still had a hand on her shoulder just in case if she might _did _break away. Keeping a gentle yet firm grip on her, he led her to a small opening through some clumps of emerald richness until Aleera realised that they were facing a beautiful stream that flowed melancholy through the peaceful dimness.

Without any moments to spare, the two of them sat down on the still moist but cool grassy surface. The light soothing sound of waters trickling mournfully through some rocks made Aleera feel very sleepy and right at home again... not that she exactly wanted to go back to that place ever again...

Managing to keep her breathing light and steady again, she wiped away the tears that moistened her face before returning back to concentrating on regaining back her serenity.

_I can't believe I just did that... _she thought regretfully.

_It's so hard to read him but I'd give anything to know what he's thinking right now... Does he hate me? Does he think that I'm nothing more than a mere fool? What? I'd really give anything... _

She raised her head to the skies.

_I really can't believe what I just did... am I really starting to get mad? Am I allowing this to traumatise me like that? Why oh why on earth did I have to put on such a display? _

She felt fresh tears generating in her eyes again and she quickly tilted her head to the right, clenching her fists tightly.

_Why? Why am I so pathetic...? And all this time, I thought I had better control of myself! What a jo-_

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when she felt a gentle weight on the back of her head. Her eyes widened in shock and she started to tremble afresh again. It was so warm and ever so... caring.

_Why? _

She reluctantly turned around to face those eyes again. They were as soft and gentle as his hand was...

Aleera couldn't take it anymore. His concern and kindness made her grief-stricken and without even thinking, she buried her face in her knees and clutched at her feeble head, tugging harshly at the smooth hair that easily slipped through her fingers while she bawled in anguish. It was simply too much. No one had ever shown proper compassion towards her before... and to make it even worse now, he was about to be lead to his grave... and he was perfectly calmed about it! Why, he actually even smiled! Her own parents rejected her... and now this... her first ever friend...

"Aleera..." Ermac's multiple voices were contorted with concern and apprehension over the pitiful figure. He was clearly baffled by everything. He never thought that he'd see the girl break down like that. Ever since he had witnessed her saddened state back in the building, he was very hesitant to bring up the subject in case she might've... reacted like that... but he was still more than willing to find a way or so to help her...

He sighed dejectedly and sheepishly rubbed her back in soothing motions.

_Release everything. _He encouraged her silently.

Groaning inwardly at his lack of encouragement, he gently grasped the girl's shaking shoulders firmly and moved her upper torso up to his chest where he cradled her protectively.

_What a day..._

* * *

**A/N: So, was it ok? =) I've also changed the story title; Hopefully it's better now. And lots of apologies if the lines sound... well cheesy. Lol! And if I made any mistakes too =) Thank you very much once again! Have a nice day- or evening or night, wherever you are!**


	5. Persistance

**Mystic Of Wisdom**

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**A/N: ****Angst ALERT! ANGST ALERT! Quite a depressing chapter if you ask me lol! It's autumn here in the UK but it's raining cats and dogs... Anyway, I hope you enjoy this longer chapter =)**  


**Disclaimer: Ed Boon's my surrogate father, so that pretty much mean that I own Mortal Kombat right? Right? *cries in a corner* No I don't anything apart from my stupid OC...  
**

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**Chapter 5: Reluctance **

The vibrant birds twittered melodiously with the sweet musical rhythm of the wind, and the peaceful sound of the stream waters rushing past some rocks silently tempted the heavy-eyed warrior to plunge back into his deep slumber haven again. But he obviously wouldn't allow that to happen despite the feeling of it being so wonderful and welcoming.

His mind still as somnolent and hazy as the misty atmosphere of the wondrous dawn itself, Ermac unconsciously tightened his grip around the something that provided him some warmth against the cold. That is, until his eyes suddenly snapped wide open before he quickly loosened up his grip again.

The memories of yesterday's events suddenly flooded back into his vague consciousness like a startling torrent overflowing a riverbank as the warrior peered down upon the smooth dark silky crown that slowly moved up and down against his heaving chest.

His eyes slowly wandered down until they were rested upon his own arms which were still wrapped lightly around the girl's waist.

From the very sight of it, he was indeed very surprised.

He could've let her go- just like that, but somehow his instincts had managed to get the best of him again.

Why? Why on earth did he have to feel _that_ way? Was it because of guilt? That all consuming agonising shame of the fact that he_ was_ coerced into murdering all those innocent people...?

And what made her so frighten like that?

He briefly recalled the way she had unexpectedly taken to her heels, and the way she had blindly thrashed feebly against him.

It was during that very moment when an overwhelming pang of remorse and guilt overcame his senses, along with the excruciating painful memories of his former murderous life flashing horrendously before his eyes and he – more than anything - was extra desperate to get Aleera's attention back to reality – back to him again. Back to seeing him as the good guy who was in fact very frantic to repent of all of his 'crimes_'_.

Though as desperate as he was to find out more about what exactly was troubling her – he, of all people, knew far better that the wait was worth it all. And he also knew better than just taking the risk of interfering into her personal problems.

He'll wait. After all, it_ was_ up to the girl to decide whether or not to confide in him.

...not that he thought that she was actually going to do so anyway...

While he remained pondering about all this, little was he aware that the supposedly sleeping Aleera was now wide awake and was also suffering from the same inner conflicting thoughts as him.

Eyes still gently shut up, Aleera silently cursed herself over and over again about her feckless and somewhat appalling behaviour during the previous night, but despite all of that, she felt rather surprised to find herself strangely taking pleasure from her current position.

Risking a slight peek from underneath her eyelashes, she registered the powerful dark red material of Ermac's warrior suit that layed softly upon her right side and almost gasped out when sudden startling thoughts after thoughts flooded through her head.

She was also somehow conscious that none of it felt right – but a different sector of her brain constantly reassured her that it was all perfectly fine, even though it did feel all too bizarre and vacillating... yet oddly pleasant at the same time...

She suddenly felt herself tremble quite vigorously at the full dawn realisation that she _was_ in _Ermac's embrace_.

Briefly forgetting about the warrior's unpredictable instincts even though she believed him to be asleep, she allowed her soft brown orbs to fill up with tears of pure regret and a slight whimper to escape her throat.

She just had to get out of here. The shame and humiliation were building up inside of her again.

While she tried forming up an _'_escape plan' however_, _she suddenly felt her blood run cold when a sudden stir almost made her gasp again. She immediately shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep once more, only to find her cursing herself all over again when she felt the hot tears oozing out deftly from underneath her eyelids.

_"Great. if he moves now, he'll definitely see them", _she noted angrily before feeling her sadness taking over again_. "And now that he's awake... there's no doubt that he'll definitely regret... what he's done..." _

The tears continued to flow.

_"...And he'll truly be so disgusted by me... so...weak- I-I actually let my emotions get the best of me... that never happened before! Of all the things that I could've done... running or thrashing out blindly shouldn't ha-"_

She gritted her teeth so hard that she was almost convinced that they've slanted a bit.

_"I...I can't believe I hit him..."_

A sudden rush of intense heat flooded her whole self when she suddenly felt Ermac's arms shifting positions from her waist to her inner thighs and upper back.

She squeezed her eyes tightly shut again just before they were snapped open to look at him questioningly.

_"W-W-Wha-"_

She was instantly cut out of her thoughts when she suddenly felt her legs dangling in mid air and her head gently flopping back.

Ermac has lifted her up in his arms... again?

Oh no... No no no... She wouldn't allow herself to make that same mistake again... there's no way that she'd allow it... Biting back the new fresh wave of tears that threatened to emerge out once more, she bit the tip of her tongue to prevent herself from making any sounds and she let her stiff muscles relax.

She knew he wouldn't hurt her... she just... knew...

_"Is this how it was like yesterday?" _

She vainly tried to visualise him gently lifting her up when she was supposedly waiting for him back there and almost smiled to herself, just before saddening up again.

_"Well... he's probably just looking for a decent place to leave me now... Making sure that he does it ever so lightly in the hope that I wouldn't annoy him with any of my petty problems once I wake up... But still... he could've left me back there... he knew that I was unconscious – or asleep – so he really could've left me... but he didn't... he even said that he was "hoping when I'd wake up"... _

_But where...where is he taking me now..."_

Ermac frowned.

He could've sworn that a slight sound had escaped from the girl's throat.

Actually, he _was_ more than certain that she's made a sound.

Dreaming possibly?

That was likely...

After all, if she _was _indeed awake, then surely she'd not have wasted anymore valuable time into coughing up some hasty excuses before quickly scurrying away, leaving him to go on about with whatever plans he might have had set up for the day and briefly forgetting about any of this to have ever happened.

Very unlikely indeed. But still, what would he know? It's not like he was some sort of expert in human psychology or anything like that.

His eyes softened when he felt her body quiver. Out of dawn's frostiness maybe?

It wasn't that cold, he noted before gripping the back of Aleera's cool head to prevent it from flopping backwards. He looked around until he rested his gaze upon some thick clumps of rich dark emerald grass that shrouded the broad trunk of a beech tree.

_"That would do," _he thought before he gently rested the supposedly sleeping girl amongst the glistening leaves. The crown was already more than wide enough to shelter her from the sun rays that have started emerging from the already rising sun.

He drew his head back and studied the girl's face. He felt the corners of his mouth twitch at the sight of that slight frown again and almost smiled. He somehow _did_ guess that she was pretending to be asleep but somehow decided not to intrude.

He brought his hand up to his pouch and squeezed it lightly. He smirked. It was still there...

A thick strand of sleek dark lock covered the left side of Aleera's face and it was bothering her a lot but she knew a lot better than making a move. He was probably still there after all. His moves were so unpredictable. But right now though, it actually felt like he wasn't there at all.

It was too quiet – except for the sound of her slow breathing and the usual sounds of nature.

Maybe... maybe he _was _gone. Yeah... maybe he just wanted to leave her somewhere... comfortable... in the hope that she would take longer to _wake up_? That made sense... Well, she knew it all along anyway.

When she was about to brush away the strand of hair however, she couldn't help the startled gasp that escaped her lips when she felt a warm gloved hand doing it for her. Briefly forgetting about her little pretence, she allowed her eyes to snap wide open and was once again facing those eyes again...

She felt her heart skip a beat and her breath coming out as shuddered ones as she kept on staring at him. She was stunned. Very taken back by what she was expecting earlier.

_"Why was he still here?"_

She gulped when his eyes softened amusingly at her expression.

So he had been right, and wrong after all. He was surprised that she didn't decide to _wake up_ earlier. How odd, he believed but decided not to probe the matter further.

"Ermac," Aleera whispered shamefully. "I-I... I'm so sor-"

She gasped again when she felt his strong hand land upon her head. It was warm, and so pleasant against her sensitive scalp.

"...E-Ermac-"

"What's troubling you so much?" Ermac gently cut her off.

Aleera gulped again. She didn't know what to do or how to react. She could clearly see that he wanted to help and that knowledge was extremely sweet but she simply didn't know what exactly she was supposed to say...

Well, she obviously knew what he was expecting from her but she just wasn't sure whether or not it was a good idea to do so. She vaguely remembered how her mother constantly reminded her that only _wimp_s let their emotions out or tell someone of their problems. Apparently, she herself had come to believe that as well. She bit her bottom lip. She really didn't know what to do...

"It's alright. You don't have to tell us now," the warrior cut through her thoughts again.

"N-Now_? There's a _later_ then?" _Her eyes widened in sudden realisation. "_Does that... Does that mean that he doesn't mind my presence?" _

Without knowing of how to respond properly, she unconsciously nodded her head slowly. Ermac seemed to be wanting to add more but was hesitant. Aleera seemed to have noticed his expression change for she was now staring at him in a questioning manner.

"Aleera..." Ermac slowly articulated at last. "Don't you have a place to stay?"

Aleera snapped her full attention at that and clenched her teeth as hard as she could. She's been dreading that he'd ask her that. Fearing that she would cry again, she narrowed her eyes in the hope that he wouldn't see the tears properly and shook her head vigorously, oblivious of Ermac's hand slipping off. Suddenly feeling daring, she tried scrambling onto her numb legs in another attempt to escape again. She felt so disgraced and shameful that she couldn't bear to face him.

But the telekinetic warrior was too quick for her and within a mere second, he had her gripped by the shoulders and pinned down roughly onto the still humid ground. His piercing green eyes were now blazing with anger as he growled with equal aggravation.

"This realm is crawling with dangers and enemies are lurking everywhere Aleera. You should not dwell on the past and let it affect you like that. You can't undo the events that have happened."

Aleera's watery eyes widened immensely at that and she found herself to be shaking violently under his hold.

Ermac really _was_ trying to help her. His sudden burst of flaming fury and frustration spoke very strongly of his sincere trepidation towards the poor girl who was still struggling to accept any of this to be happening. He was actually gripping her so hard to prevent her from moving away. But what did that matter to him whether she was being _affected _or not? She was a complete stranger to him as much as he was to her.

At last she couldn't hold it in anymore and broke down, letting the huge tear drops to flow down the sides of her face, landing onto the soft tuft of grass with soft plops.

"But... I c-can't!" She choked out, oblivious to the hot tears that rapidly oozed out of her bloodshot eyes. "I-It's something that c-cannot be healed... it will _never_ be healed..." she added when Ermac was about to answer back. "It just... won't."

"And why is that?" He demanded, slightly shaking her. "From what we believe, you simply are not trying hard enough. We know what we're talking about." He paused, his breathing was harsh. "We know because we're experiencing that pain as well. We can't let go of our past either and it hurts. It hurts a lot. The memories would haunt us in our sleeps and rob us of our senses. It hurts because we're not trying hard enough either. We know we're not. That's why it'll always hurt unless we do something..."

Aleera's bewilderment was multiplied when she suddenly felt him shudder. His face – or his eyes were contorted with pure agony as he was trying his best to lock his now weakened gaze onto hers. Unable to bear the startling sight of the usually sceptical, hard to read warrior, Aleera brought her hands up to gently grip his wrists.

"Ermac, please that's enough now..." she tried her best to speak in a soothing tone. "I'm very sorry for everything. This never should have happened... and it's entirely my fault... you're a very admirable person Ermac... and I don't think that you deserve to suffer like that... I really had absolutely no idea about your own suffering..."

She bit her lips and shut her eyes tightly again.

"I-I'm so sorry E-Ermac! I'm so stupid! I promise I'll never do anything like that ever again! I'll have better control of myself! Just... please don't be upset!"

She was so consumed by her wave of grief that she had no idea that she sounded like she was apologising to a mother. But at the moment she was really desperate to see the original gracious warrior again rather than this broken one. She simply couldn't stand it. If it weren't for her idiocy, none of this would've happened. But _she_ would always have to spoil everything!

Her eyes were suddenly snapped wide open again when Ermac removed his right hand from her shoulder. Thinking about him feeling better again, she almost smiled until she saw him clutch his head with it. His left hand had slowly slipped from her other shoulder.

"Ermac!" Aleera cried as she pushed herself up using her elbows and positioned herself properly so she was kneeling by his side.

It was wrong... It was all so wrong. She really shouldn't have been this selfish. And now because of her, Ermac was...

She pushed aside those distressing thoughts as she wrapped a comforting arm around the warrior's broad shoulders. She felt his body stiffen but didn't make any moves whatsoever to stop her – so she just held him there.

"Ermac?" She spoke gently. When the man didn't respond, she gently rubbed his upper back. Taking in a deep breath, she prayed that she would be doing the right thing.

"Ermac, l-let's make a deal, shall we? How about... how about I tell you and then you...tell me - that way, we would be able to lift some of the burden off our shoulders, right? What do you think? It... It won't hurt as bad then... Ermac..."

Fearing that she may have overstepped her boundaries, she started to feel very distressed when she still didn't receive any form of response from the man. But that feeling was short lived when she felt his back suddenly straightening up and when he slowly turned to face her... with that pained look still in his eyes...

"You would really go that far?"

Suddenly feeling hopeful again, Aleera tried her best to smile reassuringly at him. "I'd go far for anything that would have a beneficial result in the end."

Silence engulfed the whole place as the two of them viewed each other in a completely different light... until Aleera slowly shifted her position closer and brought her free arm around the warrior's waist as she brought herself into a hug.

Ermac froze and hung his arms limply by his sides. He had never been embraced before and he felt utterly confused and nervous at the same time. But the feeling felt so good that he did nothing apart from shutting his eyes gently and breathing in deeply... until he finally truly responded by resting his forehead on top of the girl's silky head with his hand shyly touching her back.


	6. Unfold

**Mystic Of Wisdom**

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**A/N: Ok, my OC is of the legal age or above. If that's 16 where you are, then she's 16, if that's 18 where you are then she's 18, if that's 20 or over where you are, then she's of those ages. And if you're 14 or below... then she's 16... ^^; **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that does not belong to me. **

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**Chapter 6: Unfold**

Aleera didn't know of what she was supposed to be thinking about...

All she knew was that she was drenched to the skin and was clung onto an equally soaked material of Ermac's back as he skilfully leapt from tree to tree in search of a suitable shelter that would protect them both from the returning storm.

It was probably midday now, where the sun should be at its highest. But with the heavy large mass of dusky dark clouds that blanketed the vast sea of blue, it almost seemed too impossible to tell; as one could have easily mistaken it to be late evening.

Looking straight ahead of her, the girl couldn't comprehend how on earth was Ermac able to see where he was heading. It was so dark and the rain that fell abundantly created what seemed to be like an illusionary wispy curtain that almost generated a slight haziness in her tired mind as she struggled to keep her vision clear from blurring itself too much from the rapid droplets of water that penetrated through it.

Despite all of that, it was actually quite enjoyable, in her opinion, to feel the powerful wind venting into her vulnerable face like the sweet caress of mother nature herself and the cool feel of raindrops splattering against her skin like a thousand piercing needles.

She shook her head and laughed as the slivers of metal laved her face.

But the best one of all was the exhilarating thrill she felt as her surroundings zoomed past her with every powerful spring her carrier was making. It all felt too good to be true.

She's never felt that... _alive_ in such a long time. In fact... she doesn't even remember the last time she had ever felt that way. The feeling was so good and invigorating that she wanted it to last on forever.

But even though as delightful and adventurous as it felt, she couldn't help but feel slightly put off by what she had said earlier.

Why did she do it?

What made her do it?

What was she going to say to him?

Not good. Not good...

She didn't even _think _when the words left her mouth...

Until it was too late...

As in now...

And now she would have to sort out the mess she's created...

...again...

She sighed.

It was always the same; always had to complicate things-

A sudden feeling crossed her mind and she frowned.

Something has just...

"Oh no!"

She gasped and subconsciously tightened her grip onto Ermac's broad shoulders as she strained her neck to look down below her, her eyes darting wildly over the dark gloomy sea of muddy greens and browns.

She was vaguely aware of Ermac's instant reaction when he dexterously spun on his heels to halt himself from making any further moves before laying a firm hand on a branch to support himself.

"What is it?" He calmly asked, his stony gaze locked straight ahead.

"My book dropped," was Aleera's simple answer.

Raising an eyebrow at that, the warrior didn't say anything as he gracefully leapt down and landed onto the squelchy ground below. Once her feet came into contact with the soft surface, Aleera quickly released her hold off of him, chose a spot and began her search there.

Coming to a brief conclusion that she was going to keep her focus solely on that little area, Ermac assisted her search, but decided to begin within a more distant area.

* * *

It wasn't until much _later _when he had finally spotted the little object sitting among some leafy richness with its vibrant sky blue colour shining joyfully from it.

Using his telekinetic powers, Ermac lazily moved his hand in slow motions, watching as the little hardback gracefully moved down with the rhythm of each of his hand gestures, before turning his hand over, palm facing upwards and let the book land upon it.

He wiped the cover with his gloved hand and lifted it to his eyes to examine it.

Its design was quite distinctive. The whole of its front was filled with scatters of light blues and purples and in the centre was a neat looking cottage surrounded by sprinkles of snow. It was so simple yet very effective to the eyes... especially Ermac's. But at the top right corner of the cover was a scribble; a very illegible one that resulted in him to squint his eyes a little to make out what it said.

_~To Aleera, From Kesad~ _

Ermac's eyes narrowed at that but then let it off with a sigh.

Giving it one last glance, the warrior tucked the book inside his pouch, careful not to crush the contents within.

When that was done, he slowly made his way back to where the girl was.

* * *

She was still on the muddy ground when he arrived; still searching frantically under clumps of leaves and twigs, with her glistening hair plastered wetly to her back. Ermac smirked. The book must've been very precious to her…. or _he _was the one _so _precious to her…

He slowly walked towards her, his eyes locked onto her back.

At the sounds of leaves crunching, Aleera gave a jump before quickly turning her whole body around to face whoever was behind her.

That was when Ermac realised that her front was very soiled with mud. And instead of her welcoming his sight with the usual sunshine smiles, her expression was none other than desperate and pleading as she brought her trembling hands up to her chest.

"D-Did you find it?" She stuttered, clear worry lacing her soft voice.

"We certainly did," came the low reply as the warrior handed her the little blue hardback from his pouch.

Complete silence filled the whole area as the girl did nothing but stare at the object in his hand before she did the unexpected. She reached out to grab hold of it, and almost snatched the book away from him when she realised her action. Muttering a quick apology, Aleera gently took it away from him before clutching it tightly to her chest, a small sigh of satisfaction leaving her throat.

Her lips then started to move quickly, as if in silent prayer and Ermac couldn't help but stare at them, trying to make out what she was mumbling about.

_How odd, _he thought. Was _he _really _that _precious to her?

He mentally slapped himself before any more troubling thoughts conquered his mind. A faint smile was tugged at his lips as his emerald green eyes were still locked upon the female. He had to admit; she was quite interesting. In comparison to him, she was the more mysterious one.

She just appeared out of nowhere to him...

His smile widened and he lightly closed his eyes.

_Very odd indeed... _

The stormy wind seemed to have picked up a more rhythmic pace as the warrior felt its strength vent more forcefully into what was exposed of his face.

But even though, the only thing on his mind was the sweet serenity that tenderly seeped through his mind and body as he waited.

"...Ermac..."

He snapped out of his daze and he opened his eyes to look at her.

"Hm?"

"T-Thank you Ermac."

He simply nodded before he continued to stare at her in silence.

Dark gleaming wet curls plastered to her oval shaped face and the pastel blue coloured tunic robe that clung loosely to her slender body, the girl almost looked like an innocent pure maiden.

Beginning to feel slightly uneasy by his stare, Aleera lowered her gaze to her muddy feet as she thought about what to do next now that her beloved book was safe and sound...

She gulped at the sound of Ermac clearing his throat. _Was he about to say something? _

She tightened her arms around herself as the icy wind enveloped her whole within its chilly embrace.

"Aleera," the warrior began. "This book would be safer within our keep. Would it be alright if you offered it to us?"

He watched as the girl slowly wiped away the wet locks from her moistened face as she pondered silently about that request.

"Of course, we wouldn't read it, if that is what you're worried about," he reassured.

Aleera quickly looked up and rushed to protest;

"No no no! It's not that all!" She started to thread her fingers into her hair nervously. "I just don't want this to be trouble-"

"Of course it wouldn't," Ermac calmly denied.

There was a brief pause as Aleera blinked a couple of times before sighing softly, but still managing that trademark smile of hers before she handed the book over to him, but while also adding;

"You know, I don't mind whether you do read it or not. It's not a diary or anything like that at all."

Whatever reaction she might have been expecting from him didn't come as his only murmured 'thank you_' _generated a slight blush onto her cheeks as she took a step back.

Ermac then knelt down with his back to her.

"Come," was all he said as he waited, oblivious to the rapid raindrops that slapped hard against him.

Aleera started to panic now.

_Not now, _she thought. _Especially not with this__-_

"Aleera?"

She brought her hands up to her chest again as she hesitated for a moment before responding in a quiet voice.

"But my f-front is d-dirty..."

There was another brief yet awkward pause at that, until Ermac slowly turned his head to look at her over his shoulder. Not wanting to see his current reaction, Aleera quickly looked away, clear embarrassment written all over her face. And then before she knew it, her arm was suddenly yanked roughly and she was dragged down till she was landed forcefully onto Ermac's muscular back. The sudden contact intensified the heat of the blush on her face along with the urge to cry out.

And she was somehow convinced that a slight throaty chuckle was heard…

* * *

Aleera woke up to the soft echoic sounds of water dripping onto hard ground and a soft mystic blue atmosphere welcomed her sight as she shifted her body to a more comfortable position.

_A cave,_ she noted as she studied her surroundings.

Ermac was nowhere to be seen.

She frowned as she recalled her feeling extremely tired; the warmth of his back, the cool lavishing raindrops on her face, the slow rumbles of the thunder and the whooshing of her surroundings were all too much for her.

_He couldn't have simply left me here, _she pondered. _My book's still with him after all… unless…_

She gave her area a quick inspection again.

_Yep, definitely with him. _

She slowly got up, dusted herself off and slowly made her way towards the exit of the cave.

* * *

It wasn't until she had to _crawl _underneath some thickets of green that she was finally able to locate him. He wasn't exactly too far away from her little shelter either. In fact, he just happened to be on the other side of it.

_Clever, _she thought amusingly.

Her mind suddenly settled onto a new sense of awareness as she gazed in awe at his sitting posture. His eyes were gently shut and his hands were clasped neatly onto his crossed legs.

He was meditating.

Aleera had never seen him meditate before, and so was amazed by how peaceful he looked in contrast to his usual self. Her gentle brown eyes slowly wandered over his lean muscular form with a hot blush seething her whole visage until she was forced to look away in embarrassment.

_Is he a nomad of some sort? _She wondered, returning her gaze back to him.

But that thought was quickly replaced by a more important one.

_What does he look like behind that mask? _

But although, she had to admit that he still looked radiant with it on, but for wanting to see the real man behind it was completely different. Unconsciously, she slowly strained her neck forwards to be able to trace the broad outline of his masculine visage with her eyes slightly narrowed.

Yes, she did feel evil.

Yes, she did feel devious.

Indeed, she felt treacherous.

But surely one should be able to understand her position… right?

And then before she knew it, her hands suddenly slipped from underneath her and she was landed forcefully onto her stomach with a soundly yet very unpleasant thud.

Biting her bottom lip to try not make a sound, she kept her gaze peeled upon the humid wet ground below her, not wanting to see what happened _next. _She felt too hot with embarrassment to be able to look up.

But when she heard that same soft throaty chuckle again did she allow her eyes to snap upwards again.

Just by hearing that, the girl was utterly mesmerised by how _beautiful _it sounded.

It was almost _unlike _him to show such a positive side that Aleera almost believed that she was imagining things. Her breath came out as short quick ones and the light rain that dampened her hair again slid down onto her face with a _pearly _feeling to her skin as she continued to stare at him.

And surprisingly enough, the telekinetic warrior was gazing at her with such amusement and - was it affection? - in those eyes of his.

Until she quickly tore her gaze away as she started to apologise profusely; letting all the words flow out torrentially, and fully aware of how childish she sounded like, much to Ermac's amusement as he was forced to raise a hand to halt her in mid sentence. A gesture that instantly froze her indeed; she had always been amazed by how speedy her actions had always been with him.

Another awkward silence welcomed the site as the pair took the time to study each other again.

Ermac couldn't believe what he was seeing. The girl was actually _looking _for him…

He briefly recalled the feeling of her soft curves pressing at his back and the soft, steady breathing of her deep slumber and it was at this very moment did a faint realisation occur of how fragile and innocent she was. Boosting up the more reasons he wanted to get straight answers from her… and what he wanted, he will get.

"You should be resting," he spoke softly. "Especially after this long journey, you must still be very tired."

Aleera scoffed at that and responded that he should be the one resting. "Especially after bearing my heavy weight," she finished.

Ermac didn't say anything as he simply blinked and cocked an eyebrow slightly in response.

"You weren't heavy at all," he spoke at last, with that same tranquillity seeping from his multiple voices.

Aleera was still for a moment before allowing a soft giggle to escape her lips.

"No seriously, you should be the one resting."

"But we already are," came the calm reply but this time, the girl sensed a smile behind it, amplifying her urge to see the face behind the mask even more.

"I…I know Ermac, but surely it would've been better if you've lain down instead," she pressed on, her eyes not leaving his form.

Ermac didn't answer, or was taking his time; either that Aleera spoke again, but this time her voice was no more than a mere whisper in contrast to her earlier merrier one.

"And I should also thank you once again…"

She felt a sudden tightness in her stomach when she said that. What a burden she was to him… but what other choices did she have?

Rejected and probably forgotten… a nobody was what she was in everyone's eyes. Weak and pathetic… undeserving of love and affection. And the more she thought about it, the more it hurt her.

A slight movement in the corner of her eye snapped her out of her 'daze' and she returned her attention back to Ermac who was… motioning for her to sit by him!

Her blush intensifying, Aleera sheepishly took her place next to him. It was like as if time had suddenly stopped as they both sat there in silence. Even the rain had stopped falling abundantly and the wind that was blustering so mightily only a few hours ago was now only a mere brush to the face.

_This is going to be a long night, _she thought unnervingly as she began to stroke her fingers in circular motions, hoping that this action might help ease her tense muscles a bit.

"You may begin whenever you feel ready," the warrior's soft tone broke the area's much stilled silence.

Trembling afresh, Aleera whipped her head round to look at him, and was awed by his profile in the light rain. He bore the resemblance of a well respected sensei, and the tone of his voice was an added merit to it. His brilliant emerald orbs were distant as they gazed aloft at the cloudy night sky.

Aleera sighed. Sooner or later, she feared that she would explode if she didn't open up to someone. And it didn't matter anymore. Neither her parents nor a faithful member of her family would have anything to say about her somewhat 'maladroit' behaviour now. There was absolutely no one for her anymore.

_I have to do this, _she thought. _I'm the one who had brought this up… and now I'm the one who would have to sort this out… _

She took a deep breath.

"My father," she began shakily. "…left us… and my mother decided to re-marry again... I didn- I hated _him _so much. Of all the people… why him? Why did she have to choose him out of everyone else?... But she wouldn't listen…couldn't, wouldn't… and she'd beat me up if I voiced my opinion. I don't know what she saw in him… but I...I…" her tears started to flow down her cheeks and her voice cracked. "I just couldn't s-stand him… he made my life a living hell! I just c-couldn't stand h-him... My mom blamed me for the _calamity_ and that it was my fault that my dad left… and that I was nothing but trouble for their current relationship… and so they just… they just… threw me out…"

Without looking at him, she bawled into her hands. She couldn't believe this. And she still wanted to say more but somehow, she feared that she had exposed far too much.

_What have I done? _She pressed her tear stricken face harder into her palms as more disturbing thoughts filled her head. She couldn't believe that she'd actually done it. And what was she to gain now? She really _was_ so weak and pathetic.

Ermac was still as he listened with rapt attention; unable to believe what he was hearing as the words pooled out of her mouth. He's never experienced any sort of family affection in his life. He was simply created by magic; his physical form was brought together through magic. And brought together for merely one purpose… To abide by one rule; Shao Kahn's rule.

_How does it feel to have a family? _He would sometimes question himself. To see everyone joyous to be reunited with their kin would make his heart swell with longing. To see their smiles, their embraces, the affections they held for each other, all these would bring up the same question to replay over and over in his head_; How does it feel like? _

And now hearing a completely different version of what he'd usually expect to _see _has greatly shocked him indeed. Why would anyone do such thing? He knew of Scorpion once having a son, and despite his murderous loyalty for his clan, he would die protecting his only child, even if it meant for him to put his life on the line. But why this?

He looked down upon the girl's trembling head. Aleera didn't seem the type to cause any sorts of trouble. In fact, the few days he had spent in her company, he saw nothing but purity in the girl's heart. Purity and candour…

And for her to have opened up to him like that must have taken her a great deal of courage and trust to do it… and he admired her for it. She _was _indeed the more mysterious one.

Her mellifluous soft voice would always soothe him; it was always calm and full of kindness that at one point, Ermac practically felt a sting in his eyes. He's never heard of such kindness from anyone else before. He was especially astounded when she had hugged him this morning. This was the only time where he had felt completely helpless, confused and fearful all at once. He registered the warmth of her sleeved arms when they snaked around his waist as she brought herself closer to him; another innocent action that spoke strongly of the girl's honesty towards the warrior.

He sighed softly before casually getting up to make his way to where his clothes were. That sudden movement made Aleera's head lift up a bit, and seeing that Ermac wasn't by her side, she started to feel really depressed at the belief that he indeed viewed her very negatively.

But that feeling was short lived when Ermac came to sit by her again. His clothes were still where they were but he did carry something else with him.

Slightly curious now, Aleera tried her best to straighten herself as she kept her teary gaze upon the object in Ermac's hands. It was her book.

"You said that you didn't mind if we opened it, right?" Ermac spoke softly, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

Suddenly eager to change the subject, Aleera gave a wide shaky smile before nodding her head vigorously, which made Ermac smile before opening the book.

He was quite surprised at what his eyes were settled on; a very scruffy drawing of what seemed to be a girl and a boy, and the colours seemed to be all over the place. He then noted that they both bore a somewhat cheerful expression and the girl had surprisingly long hair. Ermac smirked as he instantly knew who that was. His gaze then floated to the male figure. "That must be Kesad, if we're not mistaken," he voiced his thoughts aloud.

"Y-Yes, that's right," she replied. "He's my younger brother."

Ermac's unspoken question was answered. He gave a little nod as he flicked the pages to reveal more amateurish drawings of the lad. But there were also some notes made in which he had to squint to be able to make out what they said… which caused Aleera to giggle lightly.

"These are just some poems he wrote for me," she spoke. "You don't have to worry about them. The book's basically filled up with these."

"Will you be able to read them to us?" Ermac asked.

Aleera didn't respond immediately for she was quite shocked by what he had just requested. He could've ignored them and moved on but he… he wanted to know. A spot of happiness swelled within her when she realised that Ermac really _was_ interested. Still smiling, she shifted closer to him and lowered her head to read the words.

"_Sis. You have always shown support for me,  
even when e-everyone is d-doubting me-"_

Aleera's voice started to crack as memories began to flood into her head.

"Please continue," Ermac's low humming voice broke through her thoughts as she gulped before resuming.

"_Y-You a-always b-believe in what I do,  
so just know that l-l-love you- _oh god!"

And with that she broke down again, but this time, Ermac was ready for her as he gently but firmly cupped her face into his bare calloused hands before turning her to face him.

"He was so fortunate to have been gifted with such a blessed sister Aleera," he spoke softly as he used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. "And what they did to you is dreadfully unacceptable for this is what you call _being taken for granted. _You have nothing to feel blamed for… for you have done nothing wrong to deserve this. You should feel proud of who you are… for we are proud."

As the tears continued to flow, Aleera felt nothing but utmost respect for the man in front of her. Did he really see her that way? Did he really believe that none of these were her fault? She suddenly fell tempted to nuzzle her face into Ermac's oh so comforting warm hand but she obviously held it back. Instead she clenched her eyes shut. Maybe she did do the right thing after all.

Slowly bringing up her hands to gently grip the warrior's, she was quite surprised by how solid and… _powerful _they felt.

"Thank you, Ermac," she whispered at last with her eyes slowly opening.

"No child…" Ermac's hands slid to the back of her head and he gently pulled it forwards. "Thank _you,"_ and he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

* * *

**A/N: Oh how it feels so good to be writing again XD Anyway, I'm so sorry for this chapter to have been so lengthy =( I hope you're not angry. *cowers behind Goro* **

**Lol anyway, I created an **_**artwork **_**for this fanfic. And if you want to view it, you could go onto my profile and scroll down until you see the **_**DeviantART **_**link. ^^ TheRedFredDeadDude has also created a fanart for her own Ermac Fanfic, and believe me, it came out so brilliantly! **

**Please if you would like to review, bear in mind that I welcome any sorts of reviews. In fact, the more criticisms I receive, the more determined I'll be to improve whatever mistakes I might've made. **

**Other than that, I hope you've find it alright reading this chapter =)**


	7. Change

**Mystic Of Wisdom**

* * *

**A/N: And this chapter is dedicated to... Lakitu Bros! People like you really make me want to keep on writing forever! =) Thank you very much for being ever so supportive to me! Now I really do hope that you find this chapter pleasing! And that goes for everyone who reads it as well! =D **

**This is also the first time that I've described 'fight' scenes so please be gentle with me ^^; LOL! But really, if you feel that I need to improve on anything, please please PLEASE don't hesitate to give a shout out! **

**I've also thought long and hard about it... and well I've decided for their relationship to be more of a powerful friendship rather than romance. ^^;**

**Apologies for any inconvenience. (lol)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that does not belong to me. **

* * *

**Chapter 7: Change **

The heavy silence was suddenly broken by the sound of Aleera's coughs as she struggled to get back to her feet.

Ermac had once again managed to have tackled her from behind. His speed was just unmatchable. Aleera had never seen one move with such pace and agility in her life. It was almost too scary to fathom and she was almost to the point of giving up too.

But she knew that she couldn't – wouldn't allow something like that to happen.

For once in her life, she was going to prove that she wasn't all weak and fragile as everyone would say. For once in her life, she was going to make someone proud of her flaming efforts. For once in her life, she was going to prove her worth… she was going to be acknowledged. She was going to succeed.

Ermac observed the girl's actions with keen interests. He had been training her since this morning; teaching her all the basic yet necessary skills that would aid and benefit her during tough situations. But that wasn't how it all started though. Ermac smiled lightly at the memory.

* * *

He had only been leaning his weight against a tree watching the splashing air bubbles pop on a stream surface when Aleera had requested that he trained her. Completely caught off guard by that, he didn't respond immediately as he pondered silently about the request.

A mixture of feelings had built up inside of him then; pride, confusion and reluctance. He was bemused at the prospect of him acting like a teacher, let alone teaching someone his fight skills. And reluctant as he didn't see himself as an effective teacher for his soon-to-be student.

Aleera had indeed sensed the slight change in his character and thus couldn't control herself as apologetic words pooled out of her mouth profusely. She feared that she was becoming an increasing burden to him. Maybe she was getting ahead of herself.

But she was soon silenced abruptly when she realised that Ermac had his eyes shut up tightly from the moment she had began to express her regret. He was probably feeling very irritated by her. A blush was seethed to her face and she was forced to lower her gaze down to her hands in great embarrassment as she waited.

"Upon mastering it, you should be able to develop self defence not only for yourself, but for the people around you," Ermac had stared at her then. "…especially the ones you love."

The light of dawn had been sending its radiant sparks to the new atmosphere when he had finished and Aleera couldn't help but feel slightly hopeful that he would finally train her. Nonetheless, she didn't want to appear too hopeful in the fear that Ermac might change his mind. So simply out of respect, she had decided to… _test _him a bit further.

"Ermac," she had said. "You know it's alright if you don't want to-"

"Do you back down so easily?" was the harsh interruption of the very irritated warrior who had turned to face her with a look of pure intensity enough to make her flinch away in fear. But even so, she was pleasantly surprised to know that he truly did feel that way towards her. She knew that he felt that she needed to become stronger. She had bitten her bottom lip nervously before replying with pure honesty lacing her soft voice.

"Then please do train me."

She had given a soft gasp when Ermac was instantly in front of her with a hand extended out. "Then it shall begin today."

* * *

Ermac was impressed by the way Aleera was handling her emotions. It was none other than nonchalant and determined, but a trace of hurt could also be detected in those reddish brown eyes of hers. He knew that she was in pain, and yet she was still pushing herself.

And though as proud as he was towards her, his own expression remained stern and cynical. That was a challenge for him too. He knew that he had to make her feel motivated – to make her feel stronger – to make her feel proud – to let her know… that she wasn't alone in the world.

He straightened himself when Aleera stood to face him, her legs slightly bent as if readying herself in case Ermac was to make the first move again. A good long minute had passed and they still had their gazes locked upon each other.

_What now?_ Ermac thought, becoming increasingly impressed by the amount of patience that the girl contained within herself.

Aleera, on the other hand was becoming ever more uneasy by his calm posture. It was like as if time had suddenly stopped and that they were the only ones in the world. She knew that this was a test, but for how long will it drag on like that she couldn't tell. She was also somehow convinced that she'd be the one to make the first move this time. And she did just that.

Mustering all the courage and speed that she had, Aleera's feet moved on its own accord as she started to sprint towards the warrior, her right hand already clenched into a tight fist ready to strike once she neared him. But as she swung it to Ermac's face however, she felt nothing but a whooshing breeze as she came into contact with the emptiness. And she instantly knew that he was right behind her. Thinking quickly, she quickly dug her left elbow to the back and thought that she felt a soft touch of fabric. But that feeling was instantly gone when she heard a thud from behind.

_He must've dodged it. S_he quickly spun around – only to find Ermac standing ever so casually with his hands on his hips a few metres away from her – acting as if none of what happened had actually happened.

_He must be so disappointed now, _she thought. _Maybe he's finally going to come to sense that he's wasting precious time with me. _

Yet to her pleasant surprise, she gave a small jump at the sound of his deep voice when he simply said '_better' _with his eyes crinkling with mirth. She was obviously very taken back by that. She had after all _failed _to land a decent blow on him and now he seemed to be quite satisfied by it.

She was instantly alert again when Ermac suddenly charged towards her, giving her little time to plan a proper strategy.

She nervously ducked a swing of his arm and quickly jumped back when she caught sight of his knee aiming for her stomach. She then crouched onto the ground when Ermac's leg hovered just above her head in a smooth roundhouse kick. Sensing an opening, Aleera quickly brought her palm forward as if to strike but Ermac was too quick for her as he brought his own arm down to deflect it.

Her nervousness increased immensely as he kept on throwing attacks on her which she luckily dodged and she knew that she wouldn't be able to keep it up any longer as weariness began to take over.

Not having the strength anymore, Aleera feebly tried to block a kick so unsuccessfully before she felt herself slamming onto the hard ground with such impact that she yelped from the sudden pain that shot through her back. Panting heavily and gritting her teeth together, she felt her stomach throb with fresh agony from Ermac's blow. She couldn't move. So she simply laid there with a hand brought to her forehead as she waited for Ermac's next attack – which didn't come this time.

Awkwardly opening her eyes, she was surprised to find him standing over her. With the sun rays flaring behind him, he almost looked like a guardian angel watching over her and she almost laughed to herself at the thought.

_Well, _she thought. _He really should be fed up now. _

But again, her shock was palpable when Ermac extended a hand towards her and her face grew warm as she sheepishly took it. Her palm was tiny inside his own. He jerked her up with ease and she stood again. Once on her feet, Aleera felt slightly nauseas and her legs wobbled, but thankfully, Ermac still had a firm grip of her. He must have sensed her fatigue.

Afraid of what the man can do, Aleera visibly gritted her teeth and allowed a look of trepidation to take over her visage as she tried not to gain eye contact with him. He was probably glaring at her.

"What's troubling you now?" he had asked instead, catching her off guard for the fourth time.

She kept her gaze fixed upon his chest as she replied. "I-I'm always failing to land a blow on you. So I'm just scared that you might think that you're wasting time with me."

"But you can dodge, can't you?"

"Even so, I should be able to attack as well."

Ermac sighed. "Aleera, look us in the eyes when you're speaking."

She reluctantly did so but while also feeling uneasy at the same time. For some reasons, she had always felt that it was quite _disrespectful _to do so with someone of a higher status. A lower gaze was a humble action to your superior was what she had always been told. Apparently she had come to believe that as well.

Ermac felt her tremble afresh beneath his touch but he still fixed that same stern look upon his face. Sooner or later, she would have to break that habit. Weakness in the eyes was never a good sign.

"If it makes you feel better, we were actually very impressed with your efforts. Your determination and willingness had made your reflexes flare extraordinarily for such a mere beginner. The sole problem is your lack of self belief for such a trace would be your greatest downfall when it comes to a real battle.

Responding to the attacks of your opponent would come later. Right now, you have proven to us that you do have the potential to keep this training going. We admit that your fighting skills will never be as fluent as one who has had training at a much younger age but one's thing certain –" he leant closer to her as he breathed the last words out. "You _can_ become a good _warrior_."

Aleera stared wide eyed at him after his lengthy speech. A warrior? Her? Did he really think that she's got that much of a potential? That was almost too good to fathom. By the gods, he really did think so. His eyes and voice said it all. They say that actions spoke louder than words, but from what she can see… it was the other way round…

Before she could respond, Ermac drew his head back slightly with an unreadable expression on his face. "It's never too late to turn back."

"But I'm not intending to…" Aleera gave a small smile. "…master."

Ermac's head jerked a little in shock.

_Master? _

Suddenly he felt warmth and gratefulness flood him. No one has ever called him that before. Only him to _them_. So when someone else called him that–when his student did it… He allowed his eyes to settle upon Aleera's face once more. It was so full of warmth and kindness that he felt his heart swell with pride. _His own student- _

He gave a soft sigh and let go of her as he went to collect his axe from a nearby tree. "We'll continue tomorrow."

"Oh." Was all she said in reply. At first Ermac thought that it was disappointment.

It was still early morning. Judging by the sun's position, it was probably around eight or nine. He thought that maybe she thought that it was still too early to stop. He slowly turned to face her.

"What is it?" he queried.

"Ermac…"

"Look at us."

She quickly did as instructured.

"Ermac, I-I'm very grateful for what you're doing for me…" she gulped. "B-But I think… I think I-I should-"

"You want to return back, don't you?" He calmly finished for her.

Aleera's expression became solemn as she slowly nodded. Ermac sighed. He knew that sooner or later, she was going to ask something like that to him. He also knew that she didn't exactly _want _to return to that place again. He wasn't at all ignorant of the fact that she didn't want to _burden _him further either.

He slowly approached her and laid a gloved hand on each of her shoulder. "Are you sure about that?" he asked.

Aleera simply pressed her lips tightly together and shut her eyes. Of course she wasn't. But what was going on right now didn't feel exactly right either. She just knew that she shouldn't be this _selfish _to Ermac_. _She forced herself not to cry when she felt the hands on her shoulders squeeze a little in tense. She must have not done a good job though, as she suddenly felt his fingers wipe away the tears on each side of her face. She opened up her eyes slowly to gaze into his dark mesmerising ones soberly.

"I have to," she whispered simply.

Ermac didn't say anything for a good while as he thought in silence. Whatever her decision, he couldn't stop her.

"Do you remember the way back?"

"I-I think I do."

"Then guide us," he said as he knelt down for her.

* * *

"Thank you," Aleera said quietly as she hopped off Ermac's back. He simply gave a nod before his gaze became transfixed upon the sight in front of him. Ahead of him was a neat looking cottage, just like the one he saw on the cover of her book. But instead of the snowy sprinkles shrouding it, it was actually surrounded by luscious thickets of greens. Such a sight it was to his eyes, but the same could not be said for the girl by his side.

He turned his head towards her, and realised that she was shuddering. Why shouldn't she? He placed a hand upon her shoulder once more in a supporting manner, just to let her know that she wasn't alone before he retreated back into the shadows of his green environs.

He didn't know of the effect he has always bestowed upon Aleera every time he was with her. And now without his company, he realised that she was trembling so hard that she had to wrap her arms around herself to steady herself before fearfully making her way towards _her_ door.

_Knock. Knock. Knock. _

That's the first step done as she stood there with her head hung low. _I have to do this, _she thought. Faint footsteps were fast approaching. She fought the urge to run away. Teeth clenched, nails dug into skin, breaths shuddering, she fought on to stay where she was.

Until the door creaked opened…

* * *

Ermac's head was rested upon his knee as he watched. At first, no words were said as the two women exchanged shocked looks with each other. Until he was forced to look away in dismay at the heart wrenching sound that pierced the heavy stillness of the place. And straight after that were a series of backlashes in a language unknown to him as the woman, or rather the girl's mother has started to send her daughter vulgar messages; no doubt about the _mess_ that she's created.

Unable to take it anymore, the warrior scrunched his eyes shut tightly as he turned his head to face the other direction.

After many centuries of gruesome battles and bloodbaths he'd never fail to witness, _this _was the first one to have ever shaken him to a great extent. To have your kin to treat you like dirt was just something he couldn't tolerate. He simply couldn't understand. _Why? Why would anyone do such a thing? _

The sudden harsh sound of a door slamming instantly made him open his eyes again. And let it wander over the poor figure who was steadying herself against a tree.

_By the gods… _

He suddenly felt his heart twist painfully in his chest at the sight of her and in no time, he was by her side again. But even though his presence was made clear to her, Aleera didn't seem to be aware of it at all as her gaze was distant. Ermac realised that she was neither crying nor did she appear to be holding some kind of grudge_. _She just seemed… confused.

A confusion that made his heart well up again as he slowly stepped forward and turned around till he was facing her. This time, he didn't force her to look him in the eyes. Instead he brought himself closer, and let his face bury itself into her right shoulder as he brought his hands up to her silky head. She wasn't trembling anymore.

"Ermac…" Aleera began quietly after the lengthy pause. "Please don't cry."

_Warriors don't cry. _But he did make some sort of noise in the back of his throat. And Aleera tenderly slid her gentle hands over his back, vainly trying to massage his tense muscles away.

"We're taking you somewhere where you would truly belong," Ermac pressed himself closer, intent on feeling more of her gentle touch.

"I'm so sorry-"

"That's enough," his hands moved to gently grip her by the arms.

"…We're leaving now_…_"

* * *

**0.0**

**DON'T KILL ME!**

**.**


	8. Goodbyes

**Mystic Of Wisdom**

* * *

**A/N: If you have played Deception, then the setting is based around Bo Rai Cho's dojo in Earthrealm. And if you make Shujinko run a little, you'll find a beach not too far from his house either. That's the second part of the setting. XD **

**Watch out! Two characters will be introduced! ;-)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that does not belong to me. **

* * *

**Chapter 8: Goodbyes **

"She does," he had said to him.

Eyes gleaming, muscles taut, body straight, the syllables were formed perfectly. He had really meant it… But I just couldn't find myself believing him. The only thing that I was feeling right now is dread. Dread and a sense of foreboding…

Slowly, I turned my head around to admire the variety of combat weapons that were neatly poised upon some wooden mantels. And just by looking at them like that generated goosebumps upon my arms. It wasn't all because of fright. I just didn't like the sight of the tools that could easily butcher a living thing.

I just… didn't like it…

I crossed my arms as I observed the two men conversing before me. I felt like such a small child. I know that I was supposed to be listening, but due to my lack of self confidence, I just… I just drifted off…

It's amazing how all this had came to be...

…and I still remember that look on Ermac's face when we were walking as well. It was still as unreadable as ever yes, but there was something else about it that had caught my attention. I don't know what though but it was almost as if… as if he was having some internal debate about something… and I couldn't help but flinch slightly in the fear that it was about me…

And as nervous and fearful as I had always been, I didn't dare to commute with him. The shame and humiliation were simply too much… for he did see me back there…

I still couldn't depict how shocked I was either… when he… pressed himself closer to me. I was completely baffled by everything that was going on but for something like _that _to have happened… well you could say that it was quite a _flabbergasting_ experience.

I thought that I was going to die when he had leant forwards… let alone him _burying _his_ face_ into my _shoulder_… and for a minute I thought that he had been _crying._ But when he drew his head back did I see that look in his eyes again…

_Ermac… _I thought as I stared wistfully at him. _What are you hiding? …what has your past been like for you? _

My gaze shifted to the other warrior. And a sudden burst of respect and admiration suddenly coursed through my whole body as I recalled the endless tales and stories that I've heard so many times about his blazing valour and dedication into keeping this realm forever safe…

…and there I was, in his very presence…

"Ermac here claims that you've got great potential to become a warrior. Do you agree with that?"

It took me all my might to not to express any signs of shock or disbelief to him. This was my only chance... I didn't want to let anyone down this time. I wanted to become strong – I wanted to be known – I wanted to be… accepted…

I held my gaze firmly with his and with equal calmness, I replied, "If I were to receive the right training, then yes, I do believe so. But that's not exactly my true intention… I just want to be able to defend myself when it comes to tough situations, Master Bo Rai Cho."

I mentally patted myself on the back for not stuttering. First impression always counted after all.

But still, I couldn't help but feel a little nervous as he did nothing but stare at me. I held back a gulp and a blink as the seconds dragged on at a snail's pace. This was probably another test, I thought. Perhaps he just wanted to check to see whether my patience would falter or not….

Nonetheless, I didn't give him the satisfaction as I simply waited. And then to my surprise, he had started to laugh. A sound that instantly made me relax again. Taking that as an opportunity, I glanced over at Ermac questioningly and to my even bigger surprise, his eyes were also crinkled with amusement.

What on earth was going on? What was the hilarity in what I said?

As I came up with all sorts of possible reasons, I didn't even realise that Bo Rai Cho had settled down a bit as he spoke again.

"Ah you are indeed quite an interesting one. I believe that you do possess the grace of a true warrior." He tilted his head a little upwards. "And I _will _personally make sure to unlock it from within you."

I was so awestruck by his belief that I didn't do anything but stare wide eyed at him.

_Personally make sure?_

Did that mean that he'll be _training _me? Someone like _me_ with someone like _him! _I was so happy that I just felt like kissing him right on the spot. I honestly could _not _believe my luck… It was like… like… by the gods, I couldn't even describe it… I just felt so _happy..._

"Thank you," was all I said with the utmost sincerity that I could muster.

I really did feel like a child…

I turned my head to Ermac again who – I realised – was still staring at me. Nothing… did I feel apart from the utmost respect towards him as well…

"I wonder how you two met."

Surprisingly, I did not blush at that, even though I did sense a slight smirk seeping from his voice. But I did feel uneasy by the response I would have to shape up for him… for I did not want him getting the wrong idea…

"Well…" I began, fully aware of Ermac's emerald stare on me.

* * *

_Sakura petals fluttered soothingly around her, leaving pasty trails of pink which she gazed in wonder. _

_At the sound of her name being called vehemently, Aleera quickly tore her gaze away from the calming display to concentrate back into completing the essay assignment that so happened to be due in on the very same day._

_She turned her attention to one of her classmates who had his nose buried in what seemed to be like a J.R.R Tolkien novel. Her eyes slowly travelled to his head and she realised that some of his wrappings were undone. Perhaps his face was finally revealed!_

_Aleera – oblivious to her classroom surroundings to have changed to a more jungle - looking one – approached knelt down before him. Sliding her fingers over the hard back, she slowly moved it down a bit, just enough to see his eyes. _

_As she did so however, she couldn't help but gasp and retreat back as far as her legs could carry her. _

_Facing her was a pair of sharp light brown eyes instead of the dark jade green ones she was expecting. And they appeared somehow… _feminine.

_Aleera staggered back and brought her hands to cover her face as her surroundings were once again being changed – but this time, they were being sucked into a dark void... _

* * *

Aleera gave out a huge gasp as her eyes were shot wide open – but only to release yet another ear splitting scream – _screech _at the sight of those brown orbs boring into her wide terrified ones again.

Unable to think properly, she did the first thing that came into mind – _slap _the face away as hard as she could before scrambling off of her bed.

Ignoring the startled yelp of the intruder – who was in fact really a female – Aleera made a grab for the nearest object within her reach.

Tightening her grip around a luckily found one, she quickly threw it at the stranger, who – to her shock and dismay – had deftly caught it in a clenched fist.

Suddenly feeling down and hopeless, Aleera was about to think of another 'strategy' when she was suddenly caught off guard when a sudden flash of brilliant light instantly blinded her on the spot.

Fearing that the stranger would attack her, she had started to thrash her arms about – but only for a few seconds though as she suddenly felt her wrists being trapped roughly at the back of her head. As if able to read her mind, the intruder quickly muffled her screams with a firm hand. At first Aleera thought she might've been able to bite it off, but the force of it pressing against her was simply too much.

Eyes scrunched up tightly, Aleera let her body fall limp; a clear sign that she surrendered.

A few more minutes passed before the stranger whispered into her ear. "Don't go around screaming if I let go. I'm definitely not here to hurt you. I promise."

Surprisingly, Aleera wasn't able to detect any traces of hate or malice in her voice. It just sounded like a soft plead.

Responding with a slow nod, the stranger finally let go of her. As free as she was though, Aleera was still unable to open neither of her eyes as the intensity of the light was still extreme for them to bear.

Before she was able to say anything about it, she suddenly felt soft delicate fingers rest upon her creased eyelids. Holding her breath in, she was incapable of doing anything as she waited.

After what seemed like hours later, the woman finally assured her that it was safe to open them. After reluctantly complying to do so, Aleera gasped as she took in the sight in front of her.

The stranger bore none other than a pure white outfit and what seemed to appear like a _gasa _on her head. She bore the resemblance of an elegant and old fashioned young woman which in turn, gave her angelic appearance a somewhat blend between aristocracy and innocence.

"I suppose I should apologise for intruding," the mysterious woman sighed.

"N-No please," Aleera rushed to reassure her. "I-If you're not here to hurt me… then why are you here at all if I may ask?"

"You have every right to ask. But first I think I should introduce myself to you," she willingly sat down on the soft bed and motioned for Aleera to do the same.

"I'm not sure if you have heard, but I am Ashrah."

She turned her head around to face Aleera who was staring wide eyed at her.

"Y-You mean – _The _demon slayer."

Ashrah smiled. "_Former_ demon slayer."

At first, there weren't any responses whatsoever as Aleera replayed those words inside her head. Until, she ended up grovelling at Ashrah's feet.

"Whoa! What do you think you're doing?" The woman hissed surprisingly.

"By the Gods, I didn't realise!" Aleera had her head up then with a look of pure guilt. "I _slapped _you!"

Ashrah bit back the urge to laugh at the look on her face. "In self defence of course."

"B-But still-"

"Listen. I was the intruder who had her face right in yours. So of course, you were in for a nasty shock. Anyone would. What you did was the right thing um…."

"Aleera ma'am."

"Aleera. If you didn't, then I'd have thought that you were quite pathetic really. You stood up for yourself and what's more, you didn't surrender easily. Even though it was clear to you that I was too powerful for you," she paused. "Now could you please stand up? You're making me feel awfully bad."

Aleera quickly did so and blushed slightly in embarrassment. "S-Sorry. Thank you very much for your kind words though."

Ashrah didn't say anything for a good long minute as she simply stared at the girl.

_There really was so much good in the human world, _she thought gratefully.

"Sit down. I suppose I should have to tell you the reason as to why I'm here Aleera – my, that's a very pretty name you've got there."

Aleera blushed again as she took her place next to the older woman.

"T-Thank you ma'am."

"Ma'am? Why, aren't you a polite little one. But please, do address me as Ashrah simply," she grinned. "No one has ever called me that before so I really appreciate your respect dearly."

Aleera grinned.

"The reason as to why I'm here then," Ashrah began. "As you know, I've recently been residing here in Earthrealm at the request of Lord Fujin. While journeying here within the realm however, I sensed the presence of a certain someone whom I _used _to loathe a long time ago."

She paused to look at Aleera.

"I… I think I can guess about whom might you be talking about… but questions do come later. Please continue."

Ashrah smiled. "His trail had led me to this place and upon meeting with Bo Rai Cho, he had told me about your encounter with _him_- I do hope that you're not disappointed by it."

"Of course I'm not. In fact I was the one to have told him that it was perfectly alright to do so when he had asked me about it himself."

"I'm very glad to hear that." Which Ashrah did feel so. "I then felt a little worried about your safety. So I've waited till you were fast asleep before I snuck into this room. Just to confirm to myself that you were still whole and well. But what I wasn't expecting was to receive a shrilling shriek or a full blow in the face."

She laughed and teasingly ruffled Aleera's silky hair when she appeared to be depressed again.

"I… I didn't realise that you'd feel concern over me… " Aleera gave a small smile as she faced Ashrah again. "I'm very grateful. Thank you very much. But I don't think that you should feel that way anymore… for I do believe that I am safe now… much safer than I used to be…"

She stood up and walked over to the windows that led to the outside grassy plain that was bathed in the wondrous moonlight. She sighed before slowly turning to Ashrah again.

"Right then. Question time."

* * *

_He should be around here somewhere. _Aleera thought as she looked around her beach surroundings. She was only a short distance away from the Outworlder's house – or dojo more like.

It was still night time – or very early morning judging by how the luminous new moon was poised in the centre of the dark sky. But even though as dark as it was, the radiance that the moon and its stars provided for the beach was beyond enough as Aleera oddly found herself being able to trace the outlines of the fine grains of sands beneath her feet.

She walked on, and shivered slightly as a cool breeze brushed past her skin. It didn't feel that cold though, thanks to the thick dressing gown that Ashrah had given her.

_I wonder where she is now. _

She suddenly stopped in her tracks and stepped behind a little hut, hoping that he didn't see or hear her. She honestly didn't understand why she was acting that way. She's been searching all over for him, and now that he was found, she hid away from him.

_Control. Control. Control. _Aleera desperately chanted in silence hoping to calm herself down a bit.

Coming to a brief conclusion that she was acting in a very ridiculous manner, she took a deep breath, stepped away from her _hideout, _and slowly made her way to the warrior who was seated stoically on a sole bench facing the rippling water that splashed melancholy against the sand at his feet.

Aleera was aware that Ermac had sensed her presence as she took a seat beside him.

"Couldn't sleep?" She heard him ask after lengthy seconds.

"Not really," she said meekly, still gazing at the nocturnal beauty ahead.

Ermac did not react. They were both lost in silence, until she spoke again. "It's nice, isn't it? The view."

The warrior kept his gaze locked ahead. "It is."

"I mean, it's even better when you're feeling down. It calms you and clears your head a bit."

"Indeed."

Another moment of silence followed.

"Ermac?"

"Hm?"

"How do you – Do you ever sleep?"

Ermac took the time to think.

"We do… but not all the time like humans would_._"

"Oh."

Another pause.

"I-It may sound rude but… why do always say _'_we' and 'ours' all the time?"

Ermac didn't answer immediately as he began twirling his clothed right foot slowly in the soaked sand while allowing more sparkling water to drench it.

"You are the only one to have ever taken this long to ask us that," he sighed. "We are not one person… but an entire collection of entities brought together in a physical form through magic."

He paused to look at Aleera whose expression was… placid – much to his surprise.

"But can't you ever say 'I'?"

"Us saying 'we' is very much the same as you saying 'I'," was his response.

"I know Ermac, but surely those souls fused together to create your being doesn't mean that you haven't a soul of your own."

At that Ermac felt as if he had been pricked sharply by an unforeseen splinter.

"I mean that you're simply as alive as everyone else here," Aleera continued when he didn't respond. "That you have a mind of your own. It doesn't matter what you are, it's who you are that counts. And from what I can see," she flashed a soft smile at him. "You are an amazing person…"

A blush was seethed to her face and she was forced to turn away from the warrior who was now staring at her.

_It's who you are that counts…_

The words replayed over and over in his head like a sweet melody as an immense feeling of gratitude flooded his entire self as he continued to stare at her. _But still…_

"What you did before was not of your own doing… for you- for you were under a spell that prevented you from choosing your own destiny. But i-it's over now…" Aleera forced herself to face Ermac again. "Everyone has forgiven you… but you're still not forgiven… unless you… forgive yourself."

She released the breath that she was unconsciously holding in.

_There I did it! _

For some reason she felt a little nervous of what his reaction might be like, so she lowered her head down a little in respect as she waited for his response.

"Where did you hear that?"

Aleera gulped. "Master Bo Rai Cho told me. He claimed that it was best for me to know…"

Silence fell once more.

"A-Are you… are you angry?"

Slience.

Aleera turned her head again. It was so confusing. Did she do the right thing? Or did she make things worse? It was all too confusing. Emotions were really hard to tell with him after all.

And then before she knew it, tears sprang forth in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

"Shoot!" she whispered exasperatedly as she began to lose control of her body as it started to shake uncontrollably.

"I-I should g-go n-now," she choked the words out hastily as she stood up, ready to make a run back to the dojo.

Once on her feet, she realised with slight shock that her body wouldn't respond when she tried to move her legs. Before she could voice her protests, a strange force had started pulling her back.

"P-Please let me go…" she pleaded desperately.

But her words obviously fell on deaf ears as the force kept pulling her, and then before she knew it, she was instantly spun around and her face was deftly grabbed in both gloveless callous hands. Aleera almost lost it at the realisation of their proximity.

She also noticed how _light _Ermac's eyes were this time in the moonlight in contrast to the usual dark coloured ones. The supposed pupils were the only ones deep and dark, framed by his bright emerald sclera...

Aleera blinked and thought twice about trying to break free from his hold. He was simply too powerful.

"Why should we be?" Ermac finally let the words flow.

"I-I… I d-don't know…" Aleera dropped her gaze. "It's just that you seemed-"

"Aleera. We could never be angry with you."

Aleera stared wide eyed at him. "Ermac…"

Unconsciously and ever so timidly, she slowly brought a trembling finger to his exposed skin, near his eyes. Seeing him flinch slightly, she smiled weakly before letting it travel down his face to his chin. To her slight surprise, his skin was quite soft and very pleasant beneath her touch.

She looked up to him again and realised that his eyes were smiling back to her, as if taking the role of his lips.

_Behind that mask…are his lips smiling just as gently? _

Warmth and gratefulness flooded her. She had to, she just _had to_ express her gratitude to him. This man was being so kind to her. Everything he's done, everything he's shown her, everything he's taught her, everything… she just had to.

"Ermac?" She breathed his name out. The sound of it was just so sweet and warm to her ears.

"Yes?" He spoke with equal softness.

"I… I didn't ask you before… so I don't really know if you approved of it or not… so um I'm going to ask you now… " She gulped. "Is it… is it alright if I… if I…"

Ermac chuckled, sending shivers down her spine. "You tremble too much. Are we that scary?"

"A little," she admitted.

He laughed again. "The harsh reality of life."

Aleera giggled at that. "Indeed."

Ermac's expression changed to one of seriousness again. "So what was it might've we disapproved or approved of again?"

Aleera let her gaze drop again before whispering. "I was just wondering if it was alright if I could…"

She let the sentence hang. She knew that she was being unfair to him but she didn't want to be in an embarrassing situation – not that she wasn't already in one, she just didn't want to extend it further.

"Y-You know what, it's alright. I-It doesn't matter." She concluded at last with a slight disappointment lacing her voice. It was probably for the best anyway.

Her disappointment grew when she heard Ermac sigh softly.

"You shouldn't make a habit out of that. You should prove to be tough when you have to be."

"S-Sorry."

"Start over."

"I just wanted to know…" Aleera met his mesmerising eyes. "…how you look like… behind that mask."

At first nothing happened until Aleera noticed Ermac's mask suddenly tightening around his jaw.

_So that's how he looks like when he smiles up close…_

"Not yet," he replied at last, noticing the way she pouted slightly.

"O-Oh OK. I respect that."

"You do?"

"Of course I do. Why shouldn't I?"

"Because you don't sound like it."

Aleera looked down again, slightly shame faced. "B-But I do…"

Ermac laughed again.

"Um Ermac?"

"Yes?"

"My cheeks are starting to grow numb."

Ermac instantly let go of her face and laid back against the backrest of the bench.

"Will you be leaving now?"

"Would you like me to?"

Ermac drew his head back slightly in shock, obviously not expecting that.

"It's… it's up to you."

He then closed his eyes lightly as he pretended to savour the cool serenity of his nocturnal surroundings. Of course it was up to her.

He was slightly surprised when he felt something warm press against his shoulder. He slowly opened his eyes and tilted his head down to look at the girl curling to his side. The back of her head rested against his upper arm and he felt the strands of her dark hair brushing the cloth of his masked chin. She really was so petite. Maybe around five feet four. And he was exactly six feet one. Enough to be her older brother…

"I'm going to miss you…" Aleera whispered.

"Bo Rai Cho had told you that as well." Ermac confirmed.

Aleera didn't reply.

Ermac slowly raised his left hand and brought it to her tear stricken face, gently wiping away her tears with his long calloused fingers.

"You would miss us that much?"

She remained quiet again. Only the soft sounds of her sniffling could be heard.

"Ermac?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you… for everything…"

It was Ermac's turn to remain silent. He felt her snuggle closer to him.

"Thank you… for being my friend. Thank you for being there for me… Thank you. You're such a good friend and I'll… I'll never be as good a friend as you are…"

Ermac was quiet for a few seconds again before he finally spoke up. "You're the closest friend we've ever had since… Kenshi left."

Aleera didn't say anything; her face was flaming with how close they were, too shocked to say a word. Even though she hadn't met Kenshi, she did remember Bo Rai Cho mentioning him to be the one to have freed Ermac from his torment.

And she was very glad that _he _considered her as a friend too…

She buried her face in his arm as she felt another overwhelming urge to cry. Some of the tears flowed out when she felt Ermac's strong hand rest upon her back. She really was going to miss him a lot…

"You should be bound to become a full warrior by the time we return." She heard the slight smirk in his voice and she giggled softly.

"Ermac please…" Aleera slowly raised her head. "Please… forgive yourself…"

Ermac slowly closed his eyes lightly. She really was so innocent and pure.

He opened his eyes and tilted his head down to capture her soft brown eyes again.

"You really think we are good?"

"No! I don't _think _you are merely _good. _You are far beyond the lines of _good. _You are wonderful, amazing, caring, and any other positive adjectives that I could think of to describe how… how brilliant you are to us all."

Ermac simply stared at the girl currently holding him. "Were you sent down by the Elder Gods?"

Aleera giggled again. "I'm really flattered that you mentioned that."

"Aleera…" Ermac leant his head closer to her face. Aleera suddenly stopped breathing and stared intently at his beautiful eyes. Clutching the fabric around the warrior's arm, she gulped as she waited.

She finally heaved a sigh of pure contentment at the contact of Ermac's clothed lips to her forehead. No matter how small or deft the kiss was, pure honesty and sincerity were definitely laced in it.

"Close your eyes now," he said softly.

Aleera complied with his command and Ermac gently gripped her shoulders and moved her upper torso onto his lap where he smoothed the creases of her gown delicately.

"Please return home safely…" he heard her murmur sleepily.

"We will…" he replied as he stared softly at the female whose body heaved lightly under his touch.

He sighed softly.

"_I_ promise…"

* * *

**I got some help from the MK Wiki website for some of the descriptions here lol! *sighs* Another super long chapter… **

**I was also VERY shocked by the amount of reviews I had received for my previous chapter. And though some of them were anonymous reviews, I always like to answer everyone's comments. =)**

**So here are the replies if you're still here! (lol)**

* * *

**oxKakashixo1**: **Thank you very much for the really nice review! I agree, it was quite tricky for my first time but I did receive a little help from a certain someone here. And I'm sure you know who you are (wink wink). Indeed they are, well I'm trying my best anyway lol! I really do hope you enjoy my upcoming chapters! =D**

**Yagamikun2:**** Seriously! Wow! You have no idea how **_**happy **_**you've just made me feel right now! Aw shucks lol! It's really tricky to write him properly. =O But really I'm very glad that you think so! =D Thank you! **

**xXxKitanaxXx954-jessieluv:**** Wow! Cool username! Lol! I mean it. XD Aw thank you very much for the nice review! =D Just doing my job lol! XD**

**MKpwnsALL:**** Lol! First of all, thank you very much for the sweet review! I'm glad that you think so! ^^ Lol! But I might consider making a few **_**changes **_**though. ;-) Hehe, have a nice day! **


	9. Mute

**Mystic Of Wisdom**

* * *

**A/N: And this chapter is dedicated to… Paritheikae! *claps & cheers* You're a really fun person and I'm so grateful for your support! I really do hope you find this chapter good enough for your exceptional reading vision. ^^ Keep updating that story of yours! And I do recommend everyone here to read it please! It's called 'Follow The Stars' which involves good old Scorpion! You'll not be surprised by how brilliant her writing is either! You might even learn from her. ;-) **

**Ok then, after you've played Deception Konquest mode, you would realise that you'd be able to return the warrior's medallion back to Bo Rai Cho. But in here… let's just say that it's not really the case. ^^; Which really is not… Let's just pretend that Shujinko… had 'accidently' left it in the Lin kuei palace. XD (Lacking some ideas here that's why lol!) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything that does not belong to me. **

* * *

**Chapter 9: Mute  
**

_I wonder…_

Another wave of powerful icy breezes wafted into her face as Aleera debated with herself whether to go inside or not.

She tightened her arms around herself, hoping for some warmth to seep through her quaking form as she wore nothing but a short sleeved teal tunic knee length wear, black leggings and a pair of oriental sandals. Her long dark hair was neatly plaited to the back and merely slapped against her from the force of the gusts.

So far, she had come to believe that this was the only place where the medallion could be located. After all, Bo Rai Cho did mention that his ex student Shujinko had ventured here long ago. Perhaps he had left it there.

Reluctantly, she took a step forwards into the icy courtyard and almost gasped when she saw nothing but white surrounding her.

It was amazing, she thought– an absolute white haven. It was so beautiful that she suddenly felt completely small and pitiful just by standing there.

_So this is where cyromancers used to reside… _

She briefly recalled Bo Rai Cho explaining to her about the different locations of the realm. Among them was the Lin Kuei in which she had listened with rapt attention.

She gazed in wonder at her surroundings before she felt a sudden inner chill swell within her at a shuddering thought – the warriors here were as cold and deadly as the atmosphere of their sanctuary. But to become stronger, she would obviously have to crush down that little fear and prove to be tough when she had to be. Once again, she allowed a small smile to grace her soft features as she remembered where those words had come from in the first place.

She neither couldn't help the feeling of excitement that had already started bubbling inside of her at the thought of her encountering the grandmaster – the one and only – _Sub Zero _himself! Like Bo Rai Cho, Aleera had always drowned herself in the tales of the renowned clan leader.

Slowly, she took another step… and another…. and another…

…Until she stopped abruptly at the horrific sight in front of her.

* * *

The sun slowly set, casting its orange rays down on the lush green meadow that was adorned with purple, white, yellow and pink flowers. Ermac looked up from his resting position at the orange evening sky as he savoured the alluring aroma of the plants that ruffled soothingly in the gentle breeze. His gaze drifted slightly to rest upon the distant snowy mountains and he realised that there were some pine trees dotting at their fronts.

He slowly shifted his position till he was resting on his right side before allowing his heavy eyelids to slowly droop whilst enjoying the soft caresses of the delicate petals upon his exposed skin.

Two years it had been since he had last seen her – almost three now. Ever since then, a feeling of hollowness had gradually filled up inside of him. Though he had never been aware of the real reason, he had always known that he would constantly feel faintly uneasy from time to time.

How strange, he thought. He had only been in her company for less than a week and now…

…he felt… odd – just strange.

He slowly slipped his hand inside of his pouch and removed the sole content that was from within.

The little snack packet that Aleera had bought for him from the old battered inn.

Ermac couldn't help but chuckle softly as its vibrant colours shone even more cheerfully thanks to the mighty golden hue that the setting sun was providing. He gently caressed the foil wrapping as the memory replayed back in his head again.

_With her own koins did she buy them… for him..._

How very strange…

She didn't have to. She didn't even know him. And yet she did it.

What was it with him that had caused her to care so much about? And what was it with her that had caused him to…?

He sighed softly. Of course he knew what – but why? _Why _was it?

Two years…

Two… years…

Has she improved her skills now? Did she become a warrior? Was the infamous drunken master sending her on little errands?

All these little thoughts had caused yet another smile to appear underneath his mask. But the sole one that didn't was…

_Was she thinking about him? _

Or had she come to believe that he had simply wanted to get rid of her by leaving her there…?

Giving the little packet one last glance, he tucked it inside of his pouch again.

The sky was now a dark shade of purple, indicating that it was almost night time. His surroundings glowed blissfully in the new atmosphere and Ermac smiled to himself again.

_Aleera would've loved it here... _

He was about to drift off to sleep when a sudden strange rustle made his eyes snap wide open again, suddenly alert. He was fully aware that the wind was making the flora dance quite soundly, but his sharp sense of hearing was able to detect a slight dissimilarity. He quickly sat up and stealthily conjured up a telekinesis bolt; waiting for the right moment to strike in case an unexpected attack was thrown at him.

As he turned towards to where the sound may have come from though, he couldn't help but feel slightly startled at the sight of a mere boy of around the age of ten – or twelve standing only a few feet away from where he was. He had a thick mass of tousled light brown hair and his striking grey eyes were wide – not of shock though. Ermac could tell that it wasn't.

He must live around here. Ermac noted the distant lining of the various illuminated cottages just behind the meadow. What was he doing so far away from his home?

The boy – Ermac realised – had slowly started to make silent steps towards him. The warrior didn't react as he simply watched him approach him till he was only a foot away from him. He still bore the same awe expression on his young face as he too studied the warrior.

"A time as late as this wouldn't be so wise for a child to be venturing out here all alone." Ermac allowed the words to flow out smoothly. "You should go back."

But the lad instead gave a vigorous shake of the head in response, allowing his messy hair to flop gently on to the right side of his face. He then gave an enormous smile – surprising Ermac – before he pointed a finger to himself and then to the warrior, nodding his head quickly at the same time.

He's mute, Ermac noted.

"You know us." He said to the youngster before earning himself another wide silent grin and a nod. "And you're not afraid of us…"

He paused before asking. "Aren't your parents going to be worried about where you might be?"

The boy shook his head instantly again, as if reassuring him that it wasn't much of a big deal.

"If you are so sure… you're the one who live here after all – not us…"

Ermac slowly turned his attention back to the faraway distant mountains again. This time, they had a soft bluish glow on their surfaces, a reflection of the purple shade of the sky.

_She would have definitely loved it here…_

A gentle tug on his sleeve made him turn to face the child again. He was quite surprised to find him clutching the fabric on his arm. A bit too tightly he remarked. His eyes softened when he realised what he wanted.

"Yes… yes you may," he said quietly before returning his gaze back to the mountains as the boy silently took his place next to him.

The minutes dragged on and on at a snail's pace until the sky was a complete pitch black translucent sheet allowing the sprinkles of white to shower their lights upon the now somnolent land. Ermac studied the boy at the corner of his eye who had his knees drawn up to his chin whilst he also kept his gaze transfixed upon the view in front of him.

Another one… to have not shown any signs of fright at the sight of him.

What was his name?

What made him want to join him?

Ermac sighed softly.

"Son…" He paused as the boy turned to him; his eyes sparkled with happiness for some unknown reason…

"You should really go back… Your family would be very worried about you." he paused. "The love they bear for you isn't something you would easily comprehend but… as a man of experience, we suggest that you go back …"

He was fully aware that he was never good with words – especially ones for comfort… or advice. But really, he didn't want this naïve child to think that it was just _fine _to leave his loved ones worrying their sakes about him – especially when he was completely well out of harm's way. He just didn't want that at all.

At first he thought that he was going to brood or sulk about it but surprisingly enough, the brown haired youngster simply lowered his gaze before nodding slowly. And Ermac was grateful for such a response.

As the boy stood up, Ermac spoke again.

"Would you like us to accompany you back? It is after all quite dangerous for someone as young as yourself to be alone at a time like this."

At first the boy seemed unsure about the offer until he reluctantly nodded his head slowly again. But he also did something else.

He mouthed the word 'please'.

An action that unexpectedly made the stone hard warrior's heart swell…

"Then guide us." He said as he stood up and approached the child before gently lifting him up in his arms in one swoop motion. Though he did not blush like the way Aleera would've always done, Ermac did feel his nervousness by the way his small body trembled in his hold.

"It's alright," he spoke softly. "We'll just need to be able to see where you would be leading us, that's all."

At that, he gradually felt the tiny body relax and he internally smiled to himself.

* * *

"No." Ermac said lightly as he gently unwrapped the tiny hands from around his much larger wrist. "But thank you."

Though as touched as he was when the boy had tried to 'invite' him inside of his house, he simply couldn't accept it.

"Just go inside. Don't let them wait too long for you." he added seeing him pout slightly.

At last the boy nodded and slowly made his way to his front door. As he turned around to glance at the warrior for the last time, he realised with immense disappointment that he had already disappeared from the spot. As if he was still there though, the child waved a hand in the direction of where Ermac had been before finally entering his house.

Little did he know, that the emerald eyed warrior was sitting silently on a tree branch with a hand slightly raised in the direction of the lad…

* * *

**A/N: I don't know why but I just felt this determined to… to… um well I can't explain it lol! So what do you think of Ermac's 'fatherly' side then? XD I personally felt like writing something like that about his character. You know, just something… different. XD Ugh I can't write properly. Just had exams and moving on to some tougher chemistry and Biology units. DX **

**Going to bed now. Yay! Finish at 5 tomorrow! DX *shakes fist at clock***


	10. Trespasser

**Mystic Of Wisdom**

* * *

**A/N: I'm not sure, you might not really like this chapter. I just thought that it'd be interesting for her to encounter some more characters lol. Quite fast paced this one. =/ Hmm... You could always skip this chapter if you want to. =) **

**Disclaimer: I own- I-I mean, I don't own anything that doesn't belong to me… (Ugh...)  
**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Trespasser**

Aleera cried desperately as she gathered the bloodied head into her lap, not caring about how her front instantly got stained from the unpleasant crimson substance.

If someone had told her to visualise a badly beaten up gatekeeper, let alone a powerfully built Lin kuei, she would have instantly laughed and thought that this person was pulling her leg because of how impossible it sounded like…

Her terrified gaze landed upon the other keeper who had been so unfortunately… decapitated.

How proud and dignified these two should've been like. Proud and tall with their heads held high. But not like this… not like this…

She shuddered and almost cried at the ghastly sight of the once pure white earth that was now slowly being devoured by the all consuming sinful red that was steadily seeping from the wasted corpses.

She knew that this one was going to die. But the dawning realisation of it was just too incredulous as she kept on holding onto what little existence was remained within the poor soul. As long as he was still fighting for life as the fighter he had always been, she wouldn't leave his side.

To see the world slowly fading away from your consciousness, all alone and helpless, waiting only for the unknown to open up its doorways for you in the next world… she knew that she couldn't possibly leave him to bear that battle on his own.

With as much care as she could muster, Aleera gently removed the frosty blue mask away from the warrior's scarred face, allowing him to savour the familiarity of his home for the last time. His eyes were gently closed she remarked, as if he was in a stage of complete peace and contentment – something that she was immensely thankful for.

"You're free now," she whispered into his ear.

She almost gave a gasp when she suddenly felt his head stir slightly before his eyes were gradually shot opened. Surprisingly enough, they were of a light green colour rather than the ice blue ones she was somehow expecting. The minutes passed slowly before he finally let them shut again, never to be opened.

Aleera gently pushed the head away from her lap and slowly stood up to face the now unbarred entrance of the Lin Kuei palace.

* * *

Hollow. Grand. And majestic.

Aleera's jaw dropped as she gawped in awe at her surroundings. Everything… everything was just so… dark…

The walls, the ceilings, the floors, even the doors were of a soft tinted shade of midnight blue. The atmosphere was just a marvel in her eyes. But though enormous as it was, she just couldn't comprehend why on earth was it so empty.

Gulping, she took a trembling step forwards, just before coming to an abrupt stop again.

Sounds. She could hear them. Lots of them. All faint and distant… and disturbing – very disturbing. Faint yelling and weapons clashing came from beyond.

She shuddered. As much as she wanted to turn back, instinct had somehow managed to make her comply differently.

She forced her trembling legs to move forwards – to whatever unforeseen terrors may her paths lead her to...

* * *

The corridors. Dark and pungent, the crimson that layered the once glazed marble floorings filled Aleera's consciousness with only dread and utter regret as her frightful wide eyes wandered sullenly over the mutilated corpses. Most of which belonged to Lin Kuei warriors – with the exception of some – which belonged to those of the _Tarkatan_ race.

Why were they here? Aleera doesn't quite recall any sort of tales that involved a certain rivalry between the Lin Kuei and the Tarkata…

She slowly knelt down besides a fallen Lin Kuei, keeping her eyes peeled upon his outstretched right hand the whole time. Reaching out her own trembling hands, she slowly wrapped her fingers around the cold hilts of a pair of twin blades that were laid upon the creases of the warrior's chapped palm.

She shuddered slightly. Two years of intense training should definitely pay off…

Gripping the weapons as tightly as she could, she slowly began her way to what seemed to be like the main door – with the screams growing louder and louder every minute…

* * *

Gnawing sounds. Ripping flesh. Putrid odour. Aleera clenched her eyes tightly shut as she trembled at the horror that surrounded her. She hated it. Everything that she was hearing, seeing, _everything_ – she just hated it.

Through the main door, gripping her ice cold weapons tightly, she entered – just before quickly side stepping to the side of the entrance, hoping at all cost that she wasn't spotted.

Another hollow room – just as immense and empty as the first one. But there was also something else.

Two beings. Right there in the centre of its vast space they stood – facing each other with pure venom and contempt blazing evidently from their abnormal eyes. The blood that seeped from their deep gashes dripped softly onto the smooth floorings with soft yet very unpleasant plops. Nonetheless they still stood, all powerful and sturdy as the admirable warriors they had always been…

Aleera sucked in a sharp breath as Baraka suddenly charged, his gleaming blades already thrust forwards. Like lightning, Sub Zero smoothly side stepped away from them before launching a frost ball in the mutant's direction. With equal speed, the tarkatan leader ducked before he too released a projectile of his own at Sub Zero, who effortlessly dodged it again.

Aleera's eyes widened as the battle continued to rage on.

Why were they even here? Her heart was beating so wildly that it almost felt like it was about to tear out of her chest any minute. Her grip around the hilts of her own weapons tightened even more as she forcefully gulped back the lump in the back of her throat to concentrate back on the fight.

She suddenly frowned. Something had caught her attention it seemed. Looking wildly around the room, she finally locked her gaze upon one of its far corners. That particular area was somehow… hazy, almost misty…

Was it due to the cold atmosphere? …no… it couldn't be…

Aleera squinted her eyes slightly.

No… it couldn't be…

Grey mist? Vapour? _Smoke? _

Her eyes grew wide in horror again as she realised that the bizarre fog was slowly heading towards the grandmaster…

"Behind you!"

_Clang!_

A set of shurikens were deflected by Baraka's blades as Sub Zero narrowly evaded the 'surprise' attack. He then created an ice clone of himself that instantly froze the now visible… grey looking _cyborg_ ninja right on the spot. Sensing an opening, Baraka quickly brought his blade down in a _swipe _motion, but once again, the Lin Kuei warrior was just in time to dodge it.

Aleera was… beyond the lines of _shock. _She was _flabbergasted. _Sub Zero didn't once look in her direction when she screamed out the warning to him. The others did however… much to her immense dismay. But luckily, Sub Zero was able to stun them immediately before they were even able to shape up some sorts of_ - _due to the lack of terms - _thoughts_… against her.

But now they all knew of her presence…

Guilt overwhelmed her senses as she realised with astonishment that the ice that was trapping the grey warrior was slowly starting to melt away. Her gaze settled onto the other two warriors. She just had to _do _something!

Without thinking, she tossed a shuriken from her sleeve at the Tarkatan.

However unprepared for this _surprise attack _as he was_, _Baraka still managed to swiftly deflect the ninja star with his blades – but not the completely unexpected blow that was aimed squarely to his face.

_Now's my chance, _Aleera thought as she quickly charged towards the Tarkatan, aiming a kick to his stomach. But as expected, Baraka brought his own leg down to deflect it. Quickly jumping back in a defensive stance, Aleera panted slightly as she worked on a strategy – but was completely caught off guard when she suddenly felt something cold and solid enfold around her waist. Engulfed solely with fear, Aleera yelped loudly and was about to thrash back in defence when she was suddenly spun around roughly – and a sharp curt groan was heard.

Eyes widening, Aleera gasped when she registered the muscled icy arms of the Lin Kuei grandmaster. Before she could do anything, Sub Zero had released her, and had his back instantly turned to her.

"Stay close," she heard him command lowly to her.

Gasping in shock again, she forced back the tears as she took in the horrid sight of the deep gash in the middle of his upper back. By the wound's jaggedness, it seemed that he'd taken quite a brutal blow from the tarkatan's blade. The royal blue of his armour was almost unrecognisable now. All red and tattered…

Aleera clenched her teeth tightly at the dawning realisation that Sub Zero had indeed almost risked his life to protect hers… or maybe it was simply one of those 'wrong place at the wrong time' type of situations?

_So, why did he command me to stay close to him then…?_

Though severely injured as he was, he still retained excellent balance as he glared dangerously at Baraka who was now clutching his wounded sides in an attempt to slow down his own severe blood flow.

Aleera gasped again when the Tarkatan suddenly staggered forwards with an agonised filled growl before he collapsed onto the cold hard ground, his eyes closed and the fresh crimson blood staining the surface where he laid.

Was he dead? Aleera's insides clenched uncomfortably at the horrid thought. Horror struck again and she quickly spun her whole body around – the other one was nowhere to be found…

"W-Where did he go?" She managed to stutter the sentence out, more to herself than Sub Zero.

Whatever response he may have given to her was instantly drowned as Aleera's sensitive hearing oddly became distorted and she suddenly felt herself falling backwards. Eyes rolling back in her head, she vaguely registered the Lin Kuei warrior reaching out to grab her…

* * *

Aleera awoke to the throbbing pain in her sore head. Was she falling ill? Her throat did feel a little… tingly after all…

Memories suddenly flooding back into her consciousness, Aleera quickly snapped her eyes wide opened as she tried her hardest to ignore the pain that shot through her skull as she tried to sit up. But as she did so, something – or someone, had gripped her right shoulder and forced her back onto the spongy material again.

"Easy now."

Deep and smooth, the sound of the male voice indeed startled her. Was she still within the temple?

Head now on the comforting pillow, Aleera let out a slow tired sigh as she turned around her throbbing head to face the speaker.

"G-Grandmaster…" she croaked the words out. Her throat was killing her.

"We'll talk later. Right now you need to rest," Sub Zero continued, his brilliant blue orbs never leaving her weak maroon ones.

"N-No, I don't think that it's r-right," Aleera protested weakly.

"What isn't?"

"I-I just…" Aleera's eyes started to water. "I just intruded into your palace… and i-it's not f-fair… y-you need to k-know…"

"Enough now," Sub Zero interrupted gently – shocking her.

"Y-Your wound-" she continued, the ghastly image of that awful gash still fresh in her mind.

At first the Lin Kuei seemed unsure about what she meant until realisation struck almost immediately.

"You mean the one on my back? It's already been taken care of. There's nothing for you to be concerned about."

"B-But it was so… severe…"

"It was. But like I said, it's already been taken care of."

Aleera gulped, not convinced at all.

"Y-You needn't have done that…"

"Done what?" He didn't sound impatient.

"H-Help m-me…"

Silence. But not an awkward one.

"On the contrary," Sub Zero continued casually. "You were the one who helped _me_."

Aleera slowly felt her face warm up at that.

"I-I d-did?"

Sub Zero chuckled lightly – surprising her a second time.

"Indeed. If it weren't you, I'd have probably been greatly injured – or even dead as you might put it."

Aleera allowed herself to smile weakly at that. _Her _saving the renowned grandmaster's life... Why, to say that she was amazed would've been such an understatement of the century. She was also very baffled as to why he wasn't questioning her trespassing into his stronghold. That, in her opinion, was a deed of which she was supposed to feel highly ashamed of.

"Um… are they… are they gone now?" she managed to ask.

"Only for the time being," Sub Zero responded.

"What a-about B-Baraka? He's not dead, is he?" she shuddered at the image.

"No. He's being held in the dungeon for questioning later," his eyes hardened. "He'll have much to answer for."

Aleera shivered slightly. How he will answer for them was something she didn't want to know at all. Guilt suddenly washed over her at a sudden awareness.

"Grandmaster," she began hesitantly. "I'm very sorry to have not introduced myself to you at the beginning," she shakily stuck out a trembling hand in his direction. "I'm Aleera."

Sub Zero smiled lightly behind his mask as he gently enclosed his solid cold fingers around her much smaller slender ones.

"Bo Rai Cho's star student, am I correct?"

Aleera blushed furiously. "H-How did you k-know?"

"That you're his star student?"

Aleera giggled lightly. "No. I mean, me being his student. How did you know?"

"He's one of Earthrealm's greatest warriors. A grand ally of mine. So of course I would know some things about him. And him knowing some things about me," his bright eyes crinkled slightly. "And I've heard so many things about you."

_So many…_

"I hope they're all good… hopefully," Aleera added half heartedly.

Sub Zero chuckled again but didn't say anything in response.

"I-I… I'm very sorry… for the loss of your men, grandmaster," Aleera whispered, shame somehow building up inside of her.

The Lin Kuei warrior sighed. "They will forever be remembered and honoured for their years of good servitudes for the clan."

"Yes… Yes they will."

Another brief moment of silence as the two of them had their heads slightly bowed down in respect before Sub Zero slowly stood up again.

"Right. This had been quite a talkative session, don't you think? Get some rest now. You could leave then when it's bright and clear tomorrow."

"Thank you," Aleera smiled and she felt her heavy eyelids droop even further as she faintly caught sight of the grandmaster's retreating figure.

* * *

**A/N: Good? Bad? Boring? Burnable? The choice is yours. *yawns* Boy am I so tired…. You might be thinking,' oh what about this or she missed that one, etc. But rest assured, more will be revealed in the next chapters. *wink wink WINK WIIINK!* XD Lol, Ermac will be coming back... and maybe the friendship might build up into something more. ;-)**

**Could you also please review '****A Glimmer Of What Use To Be****' by SweetSacrifice123? That would be awesome if you did do so! =) She's a very fantastic person and is always there for anyone so please support her in return. =) Thank you very much!  
**

**Have a lovely rest of the day! 3**


	11. Reunion

**Mystic Of Wisdom**

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**A/N:**** 2 weeks of Easter holiday starting from next week, hurray for me! :D  
**

******OMG, why are you not updating anymore Shabbaz? Why? Why? Why? I need to have a good laugh! Come on! Don't be lazy! Duuude! SPARTAAAAAAAAAAAAAA- **  


**Disclaimer: X.X**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Reunion? **

Never in all of her life had she ever felt this light headed before. It was almost as if she was reborn again. A new chapter in life as some might even say. And it all started this very morning when she had simply handed over the found medallion to Bo Rai Cho outside his dojo.

The little object was indeed located within the walls of the Lin Kuei as she had suspected all along, and Aleera instantly knew that her life would forever change when the old master had instead handed it back over to her with a smile on his face as he added that it was now hers.

Though utterly shocked as she was, Aleera had simply responded with a sincere formal thank you and a deep bow.

Somehow she had always been expecting to earn such a reward through a form of a trial or something that deemed to be more worthy.

"_Well… he's the master here," _she thought as she twirled her already soaked feet in the sea water.

"_...or used to be mine anyway…" _she added with a smile.

She thought about what had brought her to this point. It felt as if her time with her mother belonged to someone else, or that it had never even happened. Over the past few years she had grown much stronger and more confident.

Her soft coffee tinted eyes sparkled.

Everything looked so beautiful to her at the moment; the way the twinkling water rippled lightly in the cool evening breeze, the way the mighty golden globe in the pale scarlet sky spewed out its intense rays upon it – Everything, everything just looked so _right_.

Sliding her fingers up and down the cold arm of the rusty old bench, Aleera allowed her mind to settle upon the lovely memory of when she was with Ermac at the same place. She allowed another smile to form when she remembered that sincere look in his eyes when he had promised to return safely.

To her he was like an older brother; kind, protective and selfless.

A tiny voice in the back of her head squeaked that her encounter with him wasn't merely luck – but fate. She couldn't guess what would've happened to her if they've indeed never met.

Crossing her arms upon the armrest, Aleera rested her head in them whilst lightly closing her eyes. Far in the background she could hear the faint yelling of little children playing, and a weak smile crossed her features once more as she gaily relished those jolly sounds before sleep finally claimed her…

* * *

Ermac was barely panting when he had finally slammed the last Tarkatan creature onto a rock boulder with a powerful force push enough to hear the sickly sound of his spine snapping. He then whipped his whole body around to scan the area if in case there were anymore foes.

But none he saw within his green environs. He was only welcomed by the sounds of blood dripping onto the rich olive grass.

At his feet laid at least a dozen of dead mutant warriors. It wasn't exactly the first time he was ambushed like that.

Ever since he had been freed from the _curse_, he'd been a frequent target of the emperor. Not that it bothered him that much. In fact it only made him stronger as he'd use those weaklings to his own advantage to further improve his combat skills.

He walked over to the mutilated corpse of a dead Tarkatan and deftly pulled out his battle axe from its chest, ignoring the squelchy sound that it made.

Ermac had always been a wanderer for as long as he can remember – Never been too keen on the idea of settling into one place only.

He looked up at the soft lavender twilight sky and realised that the stars were already starting to burn out.

A light smirk grazed his lips.

"_Have to," _he thought at last before springing off into the deep woods.

* * *

"Are you sure about that princess?"

"Of course I am, why ever should I not be?"

"Because I don't think that she's ready yet."

"Well, I think she is."

"This is serious Kitana."

"As serious as this _is_ Jade," the Edenian princess' grip tightened upon the banister of the palace's grand balcony, "…makes it all the more worthwhile that she joins us. We cannot afford to lose any more precious time."

"I… I know princess. But we simply cannot coerce her into a situation like this. It's just not right. Especially when she's not even an experienced fighter yet," the former general of the Edenian army tried to reason with her. "We have to make do with the skilled fighters that we already have. She would just get in the way."

Like a juicy piece of gossip in a small village, words of the new student of Bo Rai Cho had reached the ears of all the warriors in every realm. Aleera of course, had become quite a key topic in everyday discussions, especially when the old master had instantly taken her under his guidance without the need of his traditional tests at all. Everyone knew that Bo Rai Cho hadn't taken in another student after Shujinko had left his side. So perhaps there was something unique about this girl that had triggered his attention.

And now, fresh rumours of her being awarded the warrior's medallion had once again spread around the realms like wildfires.

…all the more proof that there _was_ something about the girl as one simply _cannot _earn something as prized as a warrior's medallion in such little time. And especially one whom hasn't had any background knowledge in the arts of combat either.

Kitana in particular was greatly shocked by the news, yet also very fascinated.

Not so long ago, shortly after the defeat of the _Deadly Alliance, _the firespawn Blaze had appeared before her with the infamous warning of the forthcoming disaster. Disheartened as she was, she had decisively made a vow to herself that she'd gather as many capable fighters as she could for the oncoming battle in order to help preserve the realms.

"How do you know that she'd get in the way? She could be as capable a fighter as you and me. She could be the one we nee–"

"Kitana please," Jade interjected rather placidly. "I understand your infuriation about all this but I beg you to please think extremely carefully about this. The girl hasn't had any training whatsoever before therefore she lacks the required knowledge about fighting properly. Do you honestly believe that only two years would make that much of a difference? She needs more time. Besides," she stared into her friend's sharp brown eyes. "This is not _her_ fight."

"She _saved _Sub Zero's life Jade! That's enough proof to me that she's well able to handle herself."

"I wouldn't think so. What other challenging moments have we ever heard of her being involved in? Just one. And it only happened _yesterday. _That's not proof enough. We should definitely give it more time Kitana, regardless of whether she's been awarded the warrior's medallion or not. We have to give _her_ more time."

At that, Jade sensed a slight change in her character. After a few seconds, Kitana seemed to have relaxed a little, much to her relief.

"Alright…" she spoke at last. "She will be given more time. But," the princess crossed her arms across her chest as she fixed her stern gaze with her friend's. "I'd like you to keep a sharp eye on her until then…"

* * *

Aleera's eyes snapped wide open and her senses instantly sharpened. All traces of her fatigue instantly vanished when she quickly ripped out a hidden _punyal _from inside of her left sleeve.

Somehow, she got the feeling that she wasn't alone.

Quickly rolling off the bench, she gracefully landed onto the soft sand, and into a crouched position. Surprisingly enough, there was no one behind her.

How odd, she could've sworn that she felt the presence of a certain someone. Nonetheless, she did not let her guard down as she brought her gleaming blade up to her face.

Everything was so still; only the rhythmic sounds of rustling leaves and sea water rippling lightly could be heard from behind her. Yet she still had the sinking feeling that _something_ was not right. The moonlight didn't really help either, albeit its brilliance illuminated the whole of her surroundings.

Placing a hand on the slightly rough surface of the weathered bench, Aleera slowly strained her neck forwards to fixate her gaze upon some rock boulders. She was somehow certain that the sound had come from _there, _even though it had sounded _close_... _much _closer.

And then she felt it again.

Quickly rolling onto her left side, Aleera successfully avoided a powerful kick that was slammed hard onto the ground where she had only been a few seconds ago. Whirling her body around, she aimed a quick roundhouse kick to her attacker – after she had stood up of course – who, to her disappointment, had dodged it with ease, and instantly vanished into thin air.

She frowned. Who in the world would want to hurt her? She doesn't remember ever causing any sort of conflict between anyone.

Knees bent slightly, Aleera's surprisingly stoic gaze wandered slowly around her environment as she readied herself in her battle stance. Her confusion was palpable. What would anyone _want _with _her_?

"Why are you attacking me?" She allowed the words to finally flow out.

She gulped slightly when she didn't receive any response. Gripping the cold hilt of her weapon tightly, Aleera kept her gaze locked ahead. The stranger might come to believe that she was just a naïve 'little' girl who was pathetically trying to defend herself, which she'll then use to her advantage.

Her 'plan' apparently worked oddly enough.

Deflecting a set of shurikens from behind, Aleera quickly sprinted in the direction of where they had been thrust – just before coming to a stop again.

She pursed her lips thoughtfully. She had an idea.

The minutes slowly ticked away painfully as she waited. She would obviously not give this stranger the satisfaction of seeing her lose her patience quite easily. She'll wait for as long as it's needed.

Her right hand slowly hovered over the cold surface of her warrior's medallion around her neck, and felt a sudden burst of hope ignite within her while doing so. She didn't simply just earn this. This was a permanent mark of her experience in fighting.

She _was _a fighter, and she _will_ definitely _prove _it.

Her brief 'motivation' was instantly forgotten however, when her eyes suddenly narrowed when she captured the faint silhouette of a being in the dim moonlight in front of some palm trees that roughly lined the side of the beach. It was hard to tell whether it was male or female given that the brilliant intensity of the new moon was gradually starting to wane away by soft downy night clouds.

She brought her blade up to her face once more. There was no telling whether that rogue could charge up to her any moment.

Then seemingly out of nowhere, the figure that she had been so engrossed upon suddenly vanished. Before her eyes could do as much as widen, Aleera suddenly felt her wrists being trapped roughly behind her back by powerful large hands.

Gasping out in shock, Aleera tried twisting her wrists away from his rough hands but the grip simply tightened itself further onto her skin. How on earth could one move with such speed?

Nonetheless, she hid away a triumphant smile. It was all falling into place.

But she did stiffen when she felt the grip around her wrists tighten itself further.

There was no way in which she'd be able to writhe her way out. So she'd definitely have to settle onto her plan, which she hoped, and desperately prayed, that it'd work.

"_Well, here goes nothing," _Aleera took a slow breath, and let her body relax, but making sure that it was still shaking quite vigorously. She just had to make sure that _he_ believed that she was 'still' as terrified as a prey being advanced upon by a ferocious predator.

If Ashrah had been able to fall for _that_ then surely he too, could duped by it. If he was able to trap her that easily, then surely there'd be no doubt of her giving up as easily too. She just hoped that he thought that way anyway.

But the grip didn't falter.

"_It's still too early, just a little bit more," _Aleera bowed her head slightly, a – hopefully- more convincing sign of submission.

"You're too… You're just too powerful," she began to pant heavily; fear, anticipation, and defeat, they were all clearly written there. She silently prayed that he'd definitely fall for it, whilst also secretly planning another strategy if in case he did see right through her.

The punyal was tucked inside of her short sleeve again. She _might_ be able to slip it out and _maybe_ even stamp onto his foot. She brushed the other thought away, seeing that her frail sandal might not be that effective.

"W-What are you going to do?" She tried to sound as edgy and naïve as she could as possible; all the more reason for him to let his guard down in the belief that he really _was _wasting his time… or simply just to finish the job quicker. _Yikes. _

No replies again. Was he mocking her? Wasn't he convinced yet? Really now, what else could she do? Maybe her idea of escape wasn't going to work after all.

Just as she was about to think of something else, she was immediately taken by surprise when she suddenly felt his hands slowly loosening up from her wrists.

She hid away another smile of success. Good, good, everything was falling into place nicely.

Until she felt the firm heels of his palms slowly moving upwards her bare arms, making their way up to her sleeved shoulders.

Her face flushed as she felt the heat rising into her cheeks. _"What in blazes was he _doing?"

She suddenly felt disgusted and sick. Why the sudden change? Did he now come to think that she was _that _weak?

Her body shuddered as a surge of blistering fury overtook her senses, and a sudden burst of adrenaline shot through her pumping veins. She doesn't remember the last time she had ever felt this angry before. She just knew for a fact that this bloke needed a mighty good beating.

And she did just that.

* * *

Clutching his groin desperately, Ermac dropped to his knees and groaned. The pain was excruciating, and _oh god, _the humiliation!

He couldn't believe that she's actually done it. _She _of all people was capable of something like that! All he wanted to do was turn her around to face him. Did she incorrectly accuse him of something? Though he can't admit that he _was_ 'impressed' by her so called 'bravery,' not in his situation anyway as he gritted his teeth in pure agony behind his mask.

He was roughly cut out of his thoughts when he suddenly felt the air whooshing out of his lungs from a firm kick to his chest, and a second later he felt his back slamming against the surprisingly hard sandy ground.

"_Oh by the elder gods, she wasn't done yet!" _

He almost gasped in utter disbelief when he realised that she had picked up his battle axe and had brought the jagged 'bit' to his neck.

Wasn't that thing too heavy for her? Muscles were barely in sight as his bright jade eyes travelled up her slightly scarred slim arms.

His bottom was still throbbing rather harshly as his arms laid idly by his sides. But he knew that he couldn't just place his hands there. What would she think of him?

"You're not Ermac," he heard her say at last, not at all surprised by how quiet her voice was.

Instead of feeling rather annoyed at that, he was quite surprised to find himself smirking behind his mask at her somewhat sad expression. The girl was good, he had to admit. In fact, she was even better than what he had been expecting. She was being very _observant. _

"What makes you think that?" Ermac tried to meet her gaze around the weapon in front of him.

Aleera blinked slowly, before responding in that oddly quiet voice of hers, more to herself than him which made Ermac's smirk broadened. _"Weakness in the eyes Aleera. Don't show it."_

"The real Ermac wouldn't have attacked me like that."

The warrior almost chuckled at that. How could he admit that he was simply testing her? She really was so good.

"How can we prove to you that we are the real Ermac then?" His sharp gaze was transfixed upon her slightly hardened one.

"What _can _you do?"

She really was not going to give up that easily. Ermac made a mental note to himself to give credit to his old ally when he got the chance. It's simply amazing by how his original plan to test her had completely switched over to him instead. He was really enjoying this.

"Hm, what _can _we do?" His gaze shifted to the now clear night sky again in mock uncertainty.

He felt the cold edge of his axe press itself more firmly to his skin.

"How about," he began casually, meeting her gaze once more. "what you told us about your little brother," he paused before adding, "two years ago."

Aleera's expression didn't falter. It was still as impassive as ever.

"I'm not stopping you," was all she said in that curiously flat tone.

"Hm," Ermac looked up to the rich starry skies again, as if reading from a script only he could see. "What _would_ the _real_ Ermac have said?" he liked the suspense as he let his words hang slightly before continuing, "Kesad, we believe was his name," he cocked an eyebrow in mock thought again. "And you also carry with you a precious book at all times."

Aleera remained deadpan but Ermac could sense that she was weighing the decision of whether to believe him or just chop his head off. Oh but he'll wait of course. He didn't believe that he'll have to add anything else for her as his eyes lowered down to his vague reflection upon the cold metal in front of him. What was said was enough.

"Why did you attack me?" Aleera's voice was still as soft as he remembered it.

Ermac didn't reply for a good while as he thought in silence. His lowered gaze was still held upon the metal as he simply 'replied' in his own soft humming tone.

"You passed Aleera."

There was another brief pause at that until at last, the warrior felt the cold edge of his axe slowly slide away from his skin. He didn't move though, despite the liberty that reached out for him.

"Please sit up," he heard her murmur gently.

Using his elbows to help steady his weight, Ermac slowly complied with her request. For some reason though, he did not trust himself to speak at the moment. All of a sudden, he started to feel… sad. He couldn't grasp what it was that caused him to mentally sway like that. He just knew for a fact that he couldn't really bring himself to look at her at the moment. What was making him feel that way? It had to be something about her. Though she wasn't at all that different from when they were together only two years ago, he could sense something else about her. He just didn't know what, but it somewhat made him feel quite miserable.

His gaze lingered lightly upon Aleera's medallion as it twinkled smartly in the moonlit sky, and another small smile grazed his lips. This item was earned in only two years… He felt his heart well up a little. So that was how it felt like to be proud…

* * *

"Ermac?" Aleera whispered uncertainly as she knelt down before him.

For some reason, the warrior didn't appear to be in his normal state. She mentally cursed herself in the belief that she was the cause of it, but that thought was quickly replaced by a more important one.

Her friend was back again.

Her fingers fluttered uncertainly as she brought her right hand to her chest. She gulped slightly when she looked at the warrior again. After two long lonely years without him… there he was right in front of her. He was _right_ there in front of her…

She blinked a couple of times at him. She can't believe it. After two long agonising years, they were just centimetres apart from each other now.

But why did he appear so unhappy? Wasn't he joyful to see her again?

Those questions nibbled uncomfortably at her poor head. Words cannot describe how much she had missed him… and now, he didn't appear to be sharing the same feelings.

She lowered her head slightly to her chest.

_So… after all this tim—_

A small gasp escaped her lips when she felt something warm unexpectedly press softly upon her head. She bit her bottom lip nervously when she realised what that something warm was.

Ermac's leathered fingers rested gently upon her hair as he tried to hold her gaze again, but Aleera kept her eyes peeled upon the sandy surface below her.

He was still as unpredictable as ever. One minute he would be of this particular character and then the next thing she knew, he was a completely different person.

Did he or did he not miss her? Or was he simply doing what he was doing out of sympathy? Was she still that… weak?

Aleera's breath hitched slightly when she suddenly felt her head being tilted upwards by two broad fingers underneath her chin. How'd he do that so quickly?

Brown eyes and green eyes met again in what seemed to be like a whole millennia. She still remembered its strong colour, its broad shape, the way it glinted in the night; out of affection, out of amusement, or simply out of misery. She remembered everything as though it was still only yesterday.

He was back again… Ermac was right there, _right _in front of her. He appeared completely out of the blue to her. And now, he was stroking her hair, gazing at her softly with those infamous eyes of his, glinting the way they had always done. He was doing all these loving things now, yet he still appeared quite gloomy.

Aleera titled her head slightly before whispering at last, "I've missed you… so much, Ermac."

Ermac simply stared at her with that same look in his eyes before he slowly nodded once.

Aleera lowered her gaze again. It was all as confusing as ever. _He _had always made everything so confusing for her.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you."

It only took Ermac a moment to realise what she meant exactly, and couldn't help the smile that curved his lips again. She was still as kind natured as he had always remembered it. And he thanked the Elder Gods for that; he'd always believed that those two years of training would not only change her strength, but her character also, yet he was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't the case now. She hasn't changed at all. To him, she was still that same sweet gentle girl he had encountered.

"That was quite a blow," he said at last, and realised with mirth that Aleera had quickly raised her head again at the sound of his voice. "What made you so angry like that?"

Aleera bit her bottom lip again and Ermac's eyes crinkled slightly. She really hasn't changed much.

"I thought that you were going to do something… _bad_," she paused. "Let's just leave it to that."

Ermac raised a curious eyebrow at that. Though he didn't fully understand what she meant, he didn't press the matter further. All he was satisfied with was that her reflexes flared superbly and she had a clear levelled head during a 'battle'.

"You're not stuttering anymore," he remarked, winning her attention once more.

"I'm not, am I?" Aleera giggled lightly, just before coming to a full stop again. "Why do you look so sad Ermac?"

The warrior had instead crossed his legs and brought his hands to rest upon his kneecaps. His eyes then slowly shut and Aleera felt the night breeze pick up a more rhythmic pace. She didn't dare ask him what he was doing as she brought her arms to wrap around her own knees as she prepared for the long wait.

But she was instantly proven wrong as she caught Ermac's eyelashes fluttering slightly before he opened them again. Though he was still staring at her, his gaze appeared somewhat distant. He sighed heavily before returning his attention properly back to her.

"You haven't changed that much Aleera," he spoke at last, serenity seeping from his soft voice. "Not to us anyway."

"Oh," Aleera was lost for words as she felt a blush form upon her cheeks. "Um do you mean that in a… not so good way?"

Ermac was looking past her again, as if he didn't hear. Why did he do that?

"Ermac," she dared to break the silence. "I'm so happy that you're here. I've truly missed you a lot."

The warrior slowly leaned forwards and touched the cold surface of Aleera's medallion lightly.

"So did we."

Aleera felt her heart beat faster when she felt his fingers trace the outline of her jaw and pause behind her right ear. His gaze was still distant.

Aleera couldn't hold it in anymore nor would she hold back any longer.

Reaching for his hand, she wrapped her fingers around his broad wrist and gently held it in both her hands. It was still as firm and tender as she had always remembered it. She smiled widely to herself as she remembered the feeling of it against her cheek on _that_ particular night. And now she was the one holding it.

"Ermac?"

"Yes?"

Aleera's toothy smile captured his attention this time. No, she wasn't going to hold back.

"Is it alright if I hug you?"

Ermac's eyes widened for the first time this night. Did she really just ask what he had thought her to have asked?

The memory of her soft curves and warmth pressing into his stiffened front replayed into his mind again. That definitely _was_ the only time in which he had ever felt so vulnerable and helpless.

And now she was apparently asking for it 'again'. Though he could feel the slight change in her character, he couldn't deny his own shyness metre which was rapidly increasing. A feeling that he'd never before experienced in his entire life. In fact he didn't even realise that the feeling was actually called 'shyness'. He just felt as vulnerable and helpless as before, but this time she hadn't even touched him yet, aside from the wrist caressing.

He gulped slightly. Gulped? Since when did he ever gulp?

And then he nodded slowly, just before realising that he had started to shake _ever _so slightly. His whole body had started to shake _ever _so slightly. How? How could _he_ be _shaking? _

The helpless warrior thought he had given a _very _small jump when he suddenly felt the smooth side of his friend's face press gently against his _ever _so slightly nervously heaving chest.

Her arms slowly snaked around his waist and she just laid there.

Why would anyone want to embrace him? _Him? _A former dark murderer who used to blindly serve under the most ruthless warlord in the whole of the realms? Why would anyone want to hold him? Why would _she _want to _hold _him?

He looked down upon her small fragile head. She was so clean, innocent and pure. She didn't deserve to be this close to him.

But she already knew the ugly truth about him, and she still wanted to accept him for who he was, and not for what he had done. It seemed that she understood nearly _everything_ about him.

Ermac unconsciously leant into her warmth as he rested the side of his face upon her soft silky head. She felt so small and fragile in his hold, amplifying his urge to protect her even more – aside from the nut kick he had received earlier. He would always feel a spot of happiness swell within him all the time whenever he was in her company. Her voice, her spirit, her _everything, _would always enlighten him.

"You haven't cried either," Ermac remarked softly, his gaze still held upon her glistening hair.

"No, I haven't," he heard her murmur sleepily, as if the warmth of his body was like a warm cocoon enveloping her protectively. "But now that you've mentioned it…"

Ermac scoffed half heartedly. "Dear Elder Gods give us strength."

Besides Aleera's muffled giggle, another silence welcomed the whole area before it was softly broken again.

"Will you be leaving again Ermac?"

There was another slight pause as the warrior contemplated in silence. Should he tell her, or should he wait a little longer? His eyes wandered over her petite figure again. He'll rather settle for the latter.

"No," he spoke at last. "Not now."

A small smile tugged at his lips again at the sound of her contented sigh. Did he really have that much of an effect on her?

He'll wait. When the time was right, he'll tell her.

Sleep began to tug at his eyes and his eyes began to shut slowly.

...Yes, when the time was right…

* * *

**A/N****: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA- **

**Please support a 'Alone Forever' by SweetSacrifice123! =) **


	12. Bond

**Mystic Of Wisdom **

* * *

**A/N: Oh sorry! This chapter's a little—nyenyenye, I don't know how else to describe it. I've always seen my dad doing it. Ok, I know that you're going to have lots of questions about this chapter by the end of it, but like always, more will be revealed in the next update. =) I had some problems writing this one in particular. Ugh. **

**Ah yes! As you can see, I have merged some chapters together! I always get fidgety and **_**have **_**to change change change. I think it looks better like that, but who knows, I might change it again. I tend to be like that anyway lol. **_**Annoying**_**. **

**And I really apologise, and I mean **_**really really REALLY apologise **_**for those who wanted to review this yet cannot because they've already reviewed this chapter number before. So I'm really really REALLY sorry. But if you want to, you can always PM me you know, or something! But you still don't have to you know! I really don't mind at all. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing besides my loveable OC. (XD) **

* * *

**Chapter 12: Bond**

"Join me Ermac."

The warrior couldn't help but cock a slightly dubious eyebrow at that. How surprising. That wasn't at all how he imagined his former nemesis to turn out to be as he stared at the still steaming content of the china cup that was clutched within her fine demure hands.

Nonetheless, he complied with her request as he silently took his place next to the former she-demon upon the cushiony swing seat on the garden patio.

For someone like her, never in his wildest dreams would he have guessed that she owned such a place; a simple neat little thatched cottage that was surrounded by a blissful rich well-cared for garden.

Like Ashrah, Ermac had ceased to view her as the enemy. Instead he had grown to respect her, because unlike him, she had gallantly transformed herself from a being of darkness into a being of light- metaphorically speaking. She, unlike him, had hard-earned her respect and had grown to fully accept herself for who she was. Something that the poor warrior craved for.

His own hands were clasped neatly together upon his knees as his sight took in an instant interest upon the view ahead of him.

The garden was a blend of ornamental and edible plants that provided the overall environs with an air of complete grace and charm, yet in the end however, it were the flowers that proved to be the more dominant ones as flamboyant roses, daisies, clematises and even the flowering herbs filled the air with their rich fragrances that Ermac couldn't help control the slight twitch that teased the corners of his lips.

It was almost dawn he noted as well, as the deep inky blue sky was glazed with a faint rosy hue and the sweet melodious songs of birds embracing the start of the new day.

"What a kingly place you live in," Ermac began casually, if not awkwardly as his soft stare remained transfixed upon the dancing flora in front of him.

"Indeed it is. Serving the realms for a good cause does eventually pay off," Ashrah responded with a small smile as she stirred her tea thoughtfully with a slender index finger.

They were both quiet again, momentarily lost within the escalating hum of the gradually awakening nature that surrounded them. The couple of seconds that passed slowly dragged onto excruciatingly prolonged minutes and along with it, the painfully deepening discomfort that settled heavily between the two of them.

Yet thanks to the strict self control, Ermac was able to appear perfectly normal as he straightened his back to sit up straighter against the soft backrest, and unconsciously rubbed his right thumb over his left one as he thought in silence.

Why did she ask him to join him, if she already knew that they were simply going to sit like that in this torturously awkward situation? It didn't really make sense.

But he did accept her invitation so therefore he couldn't just make up some sort of an excuse and leave now, could he?

And just as he considered the thought of shutting his eyes to meditate, he was slightly caught off guard when he spotted Ashrah suddenly stranding up.

"I'll be back in a minute," she said simply before disappearing through the doorway that led to what he thought to be the kitchen behind him.

Ermac wondered absently if she was experiencing the same awkward filled thoughts as him. Perhaps that was the reason as to why she'd decided to head back inside- to escape?

Nah, he knew Ashrah too well to be capable of something like that.

But when she returned back and plunked a steamy hot cup of the same tea as hers in front of him did he allow his eyebrows to scrunch together in disbelief before turning his head around to face the woman who simply shrugged in response.

"You're guest here," she said rather sheepishly before sitting back down beside him.

Ermac didn't say anything for a long moment as he simply stared at the cup, warm and welcoming between his gloved hands.

"Thank you," he finally released the words from his lips.

The former she-demon shrugged again, but this time, a small smile was visible. "No problem."

Ermac returned his attention back onto the dark liquid that swirled graciously in his cup before a sudden realisation struck him.

Guest? He was a _guest? _

He traced the smooth outline of the handle slowly, and realising, that he was _welcomed. _And it was such a warm feeling- a feeling that he rarely experienced.

He realised now that he only felt this way whenever he was in the company of Aleera.

His eyes softened slightly at the thought of her. _'She's probably still asleep...'_

"You should drink now before it gets cold Ermac," Ashrah's sleek feminine voice interrupted his thoughts, and again he felt this warm feeling arising in his chest.

_He was a welcomed guest._

Raising a hand up to his mask, he slowly slid down the lower wrappings that covered his mouth…

* * *

Aleera woke up to the familiar feeling of her soft bed and sighed contently as she relished its comfort. That is, until she remembered almost too quickly of what had happened the night before.

Cracking a still droopy eye open a little, she was instantly faced with the familiar wave of the luscious rose-pink cherry blossom tree outside her window.

'_Almost dawn'_, she noted absently, just before being hit by a more important awareness.

'_How did I end up here?' _She felt her heart pace up a little. _'Did Ermac bring me here?'_

At the simple thought of him, she suddenly felt elated. Her friend was back again. He had returned!

But, how did he know of where she lived?

She vaguely recalled the heavy stupor that shielded her from the awareness of gently being lifted up into his solid arms. That was probably the last thing she had remembered before sleep finally claimed her.

Ridding her eyes from the last traces of drowsiness that caked her vision, she quickly pulled away the light indigo coloured blanket from her body, just before widening her eyes in awkward realisation.

She was clothed in her ivory satin pyjamas. How in the-

That must've been a very deep sleep. She unwillingly blushed furiously, and quickly made a grab for her short sleeved beige tunic that was folded neatly upon the seat of a chair closest to her bed and instantly got ready for the day.

* * *

She was still busy rubbing her sleep filled eyes when she stepped outside with feather light steps. Apparently her sandals were nowhere to be found due to yesterday's 'commotion.' But nevertheless, it was nice in her opinion, to feel the cool glazed tile floorings against her sore bare feet. It felt… _refreshing, _was the only adjective she could come up with.

It wasn't until she heard the familiar soft rustle of Ashrah's dress that she decided to open up her eyes to greet her. But a small gasp had escaped her lips instead and both familiar heads instantly turned around in her direction. And a hand was clamped to the mouth followed by a muted squeal.

Ermac's face was exposed…

* * *

**A/N: It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine. **

**And the sooner the better… **

**(Oh yeah, if you're still reading this InvaderZit-Lol, I called you Zim before- don't worry, I didn't forget our little talk. ;-) **

**Another day, another year older. Yep, it was my birthday and OMG, it just **_**had**_** to be on the day before my Biology exam! Why? I had such a depressing time! But the cake! It was the best! And the kaftans. And churidars. And shalwar Kameez. Ok ok, they all fit perfectly. So yeah, I had a pretty good time lol. Love you mum, dad and the aunties whom I've never even met back in Mauritius. Oh and my older brother gave me this awfully cute dog tag 'SPECI4L SISTER' which I wear everyday! It was ADORABLE! And I really need to shut up now because I'm annoying you to death. Lol, but you still read the whole of this. Haha! **

**Yours truly, **

**~Zahra, literally translated to **_**Embolden Rose-**_** Persian/Iranian & Arabic. (XD)**

**Peace Be Upon You All!  
**


	13. Gold

**Mystic Of Wisdom (long author's note, nanananana!)**

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**A/N:**** This particular chapter is a result from aDhikr inspiration - which is a type of meditation for us **_**folks, **_**hehe**_**. **_**;D  
**

**So **_**this**_** is almost like a 'spiritual' chapter - which I don't believe is anywhere near that term but oh well – in which Ermac is taking a lot of things into consideration.**

* * *

**-And now, I really want to thank you very much, **_**(SuddenSummerStorm**__**), **_**for your wonderful reviews! I was so joyous to see how your honesty was reflected through them! They really made me so happy. Thank you so much. I beg of you now to not hesitate to send me any PMs at ANY time, ok? If you're still following this fic, then I really do hope you find the next chapters pleasing, if only a little lol! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

**Chapter 13: Gold **

Ermac reclined against the spongy backrest of the swing seat as Ashrah swiftly walked past him, shooting him an apologetic glance before disappearing through the doorway after Aleera.

Wrappings now back in place, the telekinetic warrior released a slow tired sigh before shutting his eyes gently, clasping his hands neatly together upon his knees as he prepared for the long wait.

Whatever went wrong, he mused. There weren't any particular reason for her to have run away like that. He shouldn't think so anyway as he had already a hand placed over the lower part of his face when he had turned around to face her. She wouldn't have seen _it_.

But, Aleera was Aleera.

And a humble one too as he remembered the all-too-hopeful look on her face when she had requested to see his face only two years ago. And now that the opportunity was here, she fled. Not that she would've seen it in the first place. Perhaps she was simply waiting for a certain possible 'right' time maybe?

He shook his head lightly.

She really was such an odd little creature.

While she was still in his embrace just a few hours ago, he had asked for where she lived, for it was truly obvious that he had no intention of spending the whole of the night in that somewhat disconcerting position. She was half asleep when she had murmured her reply, and Ermac was indeed very astounded.

No knowledge of _her _whereabouts, he had simply wandered through the woods, cradling the still slumbering Aleera till he had caught in the slightest of Ashrah's familiar whiff; a particular trait that only Tarkatans and Netherrealm demons possessed. And one that had proved most valuable to the notorious sorcerer, Shang Tsung who had fashioned most of his creations with this distinctive gift.

Upon arriving at her humble abode, Ermac had simply stood out there; obviously uncertain to how he should face his former archenemy, even though it was clear to him that he no longer bore anymore grudges against her.

The wooden door of the archaic hut was swung open eventually, revealing the female who had stood almost cautiously, taking the time to study him. And like him, traces of hate or resentment were undetected in her light maroon eyes. She had simply appeared very indecisive of the whole situation herself.

But upon seeing the young woman in his arms however, she had allowed him entry. He had simply placed her upon her bed before retreating away, but not before Ashrah had requested for him to wait for her on the patio.

Which had all led to this moment.

Ermac slowly opened his eyes when he felt something soft flutter past the exposed skin of his face. Turning his head to the right, he noticed a chubby yellow wagtail on the glazed banister. Its ashy grey wings ruffled subtly in the light breeze and the soft ruby radiance of daybreak kissed its tiny golden form warmly, giving it a deep carroty shine.

The very sight of it was somewhat saintly and soothing to him. All it did was merely sit there, whilst constantly twitching its head in all different directions as if on the alert.

The seconds passed slowly as Ermac maintained his lethargic gaze upon it. He smiled gently. How amazing it is, that the little things can have the most powerful effects. Just by staring at it, in all of its peaceful, tranquil glory, it felt as though he had missed a lot in his short life. From this simple yellow bird, he could see how many good things he had failed to witness.

Absently, he wondered how life could have been like for him if he was a simple regular folk. He wouldn't have been a blasted container fusing thousands of souls into one. But would he really have been a free man? Would life really have been made a lot easier? Would he really have been as... _strong _as he was now? For the very first time in his life, he was taking all these into consideration...

A soft sigh escaped his lips. What was he doing loading his mind with all these nonsense? He was a man who needed as much peace as anyone else here.

His bright emerald eyes wandered lightly over to the left, where Ashrah had been sitting and spotted a half empty dish poised placidly upon the armrest. She must've been interrupted from her breakfast upon sensing his presence, he noted.

Leaning over to the side, he reached and broke a small piece of biscuit into tiny bits, letting he crumbs spread generously all over his gloved hand. Looking over his right shoulder, he was slightly startled to find the bird now on the tiled floor at the base of the railing, ruffling its patterned little wings breezily, and Ermac wondered if it was still a chick.

Sliding out of his seat, he slowly knelt down before it with a crumb filled hand held out upon the cool floor. Some of the titbits sprawled out and the chick generously pecked at them before finally hopping onto the warrior's hand.

Ermac's smile broadened as he took his seat back on the swing seat with the wagtail still pecking away in his hand. He studied the soft feathery creature with fascination. It was so small, fragile yet very bold in his large destructive hand that could easily crush the life out of it.

And even though the thin leathery material of his glove was shielding away the sensitive feel of the bird, Ermac could still feel its light weight at it bobbed around every area of his hand and the slight prickly feel of its sharp beak as it nimbly pecked at its targets.

He didn't flinch when he suddenly felt a delicate hand rest upon the back of his left shoulder.

"And who gave you the permission to share my snack with a stranger?" Ashrah asked lightly.

Ermac's mask creased before responding with an almost inaudible chuckle. Ashrah actually just joked with him. Now that was something...

And though Ermac couldn't sense Aleera's presence as easily as the woman's, he clearly did not miss the feather light footsteps as she also approached him. If that was still two years ago, she would've been showering him with endless apologies. But all she did now, was shuffle her feet uncomfortably before leaning forwards against the seat's backrest. Guessing that she _was _going to start apologising now, Ermac quickly beat her to it.

"Come forwards," he said, making her jump.

Though surprised at that odd request, Aleera quickly complied, passing Ashrah who simply flashed her a soft reassuring smile.

Once she was in front of the warrior, her eyes instantly widened at the sight before her. The way the tiny fluffy bird was sitting cutely in the powerful hands of a very serene Ermac was all too much for her that she quickly clasped her hands over her mouth, suppressing the squeal that threatened to come out.

She never thought that one day she might witness something as breathtaking as this, and so wished as badly as the Netherrealm that she possessed a camera to capture the precious moment for life.

And the more she stared at the pair, the more her chest hurt at the pressure of her heartbeats. She never thought Ermac could be so spontaneous...

"Hold out your hands," Ermac gently cut through her reverie, and Aleera's breathing instantly stopped.

Did he really just ask what she thought him to have asked?

But before she was able to do so, Ashrah quickly halted her, claiming that the bird would panic and fly away. So instead, she went and broke another small piece of biscuit and showered the crumbs all over Aleera's soft hands.

Her hands shook with excitement but she forced them under control. She's never held a bird before and so the eagerness was obviously too plain to hide. But she really wouldn't let this golden opportunity go to waste.

She didn't know what to do as she waited, and glanced over at Ermac who was still staring peacefully at the bird. Until he ever slowly got up with a hand gently hovering above its delicate little head, so as to not startle it.

Guilt instantly seeped through her. Should she have been the one to have gone to him instead of him coming over to her? She caught Ashrah's eyes nervously and she simply smiled in response. And Aleera immediately took it as a very good sign.

It was almost a miracle that she didn't faint the moment the little fluff ball was pressed into her palms. Her mouth ran dry and she gulped nervously, wondering why on earth didn't it fly away from the sudden transfer. But what did that matter?

Tears of happiness brimming in her eyes, she looked up at the warrior and mouthed her endless thanks to him. Ermac's eyes simply softened gently at the sight.

It really was amazing by what the smallest of things can do to you. It was such an uplift; to both him and her. After such a long time, the least he believed he could do was display some sense of appreciation to her. And looking at her now, he felt nothing but the utmost pride and admiration.

The most foreign of feelings that he's experienced throughout their short time together was most rewarding, and gradually, he had learned how to express himself- no matter how _little _it seemed.

And though he had self-agreed that she hasn't changed that much, he couldn't deny that she had grown remarkably in self control. The evidence from yesterday was truly pleasing.

He looked at Ashrah, and felt another surge of gratitude seep through him. Of all the people he knew, never had he given in the slightest of thought that she could be such a great help. Like him, she has changed incredibly- but it was obvious that she has excelled a lot further than the warrior.

The woman caught his eyes and smiled. A genuine smile that clearly said, "Do not dwell in the past." He returned the gesture gratefully.

No matter how much people commented on how stoic, a stone hard warrior he was, he still had a lot to learn. Out of the trio, he was the most inexperienced one.

But, for the very first time in his life – he felt _belonged_. And that was only just the beginning.

At the sound of a small 'oh,' Ermac turned his head back and a light chuckle escaped his throat when the wagtail flew past him. The pale ochre shade of its feathery body glowed an even powerful amber hue the higher it soared, until it finally disappeared into the light crimson sky.

He looked at Aleera again, and realised how much she was still shaking with excitement as she continued to stare at her outstretched hands.

A moment later, she –unsurprisingly– began to shower him with her endless thanks, and like always, Ermac simply responded with one of his earnest of nods.

She had never failed to amuse him.

Crossing his arms over his chest, he wondered momentarily. Perhaps now was the right time. He had, after all, a special lesson planned for her.

Upon winning Ashrah's attention once more, the two warriors shared a brief look, as if conversing silently, before the ex she-demon nodded in silent agreement. And then smiled at Aleera.

"While you were still asleep, Ermac had requested me to share with you one of his impressive knowledge in combat," she watched as the younger woman's eyes widened. "He was willing to train you today but seeing if you've got something else planned, he could wait another time. He really does not mind in the slightest. What do you think?"

Aleera's lips parted. "My answer's quite obvious, isn't it?" she smiled brightly at Ermac. "Of course, I'm keen to train with him."

"Then take as much time as you need," Ashrah addressed to Ermac before adding, "I'll be back in a minute. Don't go anywhere yet," and she disappeared through the doorway that led back inside.

Aleera rubbed the back of her neck. Ermac _can_ definitely be the spontaneous type when he wanted to.

What exactly was this impressive knowledge was he wiling to share with her?

For a minute there, she thought that he wanted to spar with her. But Ashrah had said 'knowledge,' not 'test.'

Oh wait, that's right!

She already did undergo the 'test', and 'passed' quite smoothly, according to Ermac. But that method was obviously not exactly a proper way of testing what she's learned over the two years' period with Bo Rai Cho. So she's guessing that maybe sooner or later, he'll definitely want to spar with her again – right after he's taught her whatever it was that he was willing to teach her.

Her thoughts were cut through when Ashrah suddenly hung a light drawstring bag over her right shoulder. Surely, that didn't take a minute!

"Your lunch," she said simply before adding with a smile as bright as the now rising sun. "Pay close attention to the Master, ok?" she turned to Ermac. "When you're done, make sure to _return_, alright?"

It was more a command than a request, but Ermac didn't care. "Of course," he replied simply.

Ashrah –seemingly satisfied with the both of them – said her goodbyes before making her way back inside again, leaving the two of them on their own.

"Ready?" Ermac asked, smiling.

"As I'll ever be Master," Aleera replied, a twinkle in each soft coffee eyes.

Ermac felt it again. That same feeling of warmth and gratefulness flooding his entire self at the mention of the title. _Exactly_ like _before_.

He pointed west. "The training will take place within the woods, where the level of tranquillity is exceptional. As well as space," he added, "For we will require a lot of it."

"Alright," Aleera nodded, her excitement couldn't be contained any longer.

"Good," Ermac began to walk down the steps, leading to the magnificent garden. "Shall we?"

* * *

**A/N****: If it's not fast paced, it's agonisingly slow paced! **

**And so Aleera is a brand new person. (Yay!) And no, I'm not an expert on what birds eat, so ssshhh pretty please! **

**Haha! And about Ashrah's humble abode, well, I'm recently fascinated in Irish culture. And most of all, their cute little houses! So there you go! A neat little Irish thatched cottage. XD  
**

**Other than that, I bid thee farewell! Goodnight! :D **

**-A big hug to everyone who reviewed my last chapter! :D  
**


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